


2007 PoT Drabbles

by Whisper132



Series: PoT Drabble Collections [2]
Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-01-04
Updated: 2007-01-04
Packaged: 2018-05-07 21:04:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 148
Words: 44,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5470727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whisper132/pseuds/Whisper132
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>PoT drabbles written in 2007</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Late (Golden Pair)

Eiji looked at his watch.  
  
Oishi was late. Not horribly late, certainly not so late as to warrant calling the police and filing a missing person's report – which Eiji would never do and the thought hadn't even crossed his mind. Still, twenty minutes was way past punctual and Oishi usually arrived to the movies ten minutes early when they had dates.  
  
Eiji checked his watch again. "Oishi," he called to the hazy brown sky, "the movie's gonna start soon." A crowd of girls near the ticket booth pointed at him. They were probably trying to figure out if his date stood him up and hey, was he wearing a Seigaku uniform? Was that a tennis bag?  
  
Yes it was a Seigaku uniform and, yes, it was a tennis bag. And he was Kikumaru Eiji and Oishi Syuichirou was going to get an earful for embarrassing Eiji in public like this.  
  
"Eiji!"   
  
Kikumaru pretended not to hear Oishi calling. That'd show those girls who was being stood up.  
  
"Eiji!" Oishi arrived to Kikumaru's side, panting and clutching something behind his back. "Sorry I'm late. I was stuck somewhere and couldn't get out."  
  
"Whatever. The movie's already started so we might as well go home." Eiji didn't intend to go home, but if he didn't act suitably upset, then Oishi wouldn't 'make it up to him.'  
  
A warm hand landed on Eiji's back and a gift bag dangled in front of Kikumaru's eyes. "Happy birthday, Eiji. Sorry I made us miss the movie. I'll make it up to you somehow."  
  
Eiji snatched at the bag and leaned back, pressing harder against Oishi's supportive hand. "I guess you'll just have to," he said, sifting through tissue paper. "It's the least you could do for making me wait. And I really wanted to see that movie, too." He saw the movie yesterday with his sister. It was good. Oishi probably wouldn't like it, though, it had magical girls and that wasn't Oishi's thing. "Hey Oishi, there's nothing in here!"  
  
Oishi looked into the bag, rooting around for a bit before he shrugged and pushed Eiji forward, away from the theater. "I guess I left it at my place. We'll have to pick it up there. My mom's not home today so she wasn't there to remind me about it."  
  
Eiji did a quick step to the side and grabbed Oishi's hand. "Left my present on your bed again, Oishi?"  
  
Oishi didn't answer, just hummed while they walked down the street to the bus station.


	2. Slightly Rounded (MaruJi)

The tennis days were long gone now. They were fun, but Jirou didn't miss them too terribly.  
  
"Ojii-san, tell us the story of the Magical Bundt Cake again!" Sakura-chan from down the street sat on Marui Bunta's lap, her hands pressed into his belly as she leaned forward expectantly.   
  
Bunta reached over for a Hostess cake and popped it into his mouth before he reached to a side table for a small notebook. He was a writer now – children's stories – and Sakura-chan was his test subject. "Only one more, then you need to get home," he said. Brown crumbs trickled from the side of his mouth.   
  
Sakura-chan pouted. "Can't I live with you?"  
  
Jirou thought of tiny eyes peering at him from the end of the bed while he pressed himself into Marui's girth. "Your momma would miss you," he told her, moving to pluck her from Marui, dropping her onto the rug near the fireplace with a little less care than usual before taking a seat on the arm of Marui's chair. The old leather highback creaked and, for a moment, Jirou was afraid the ratty thing would finally give out. If it gave out, he could get a new one, wider in the seat so they could both sit in it without Jirou's arm sinking into Marui's flesh.  
  
Marui gave Jirou's knee a squeeze and cleared his throat. "Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a magical bundt cake…"


	3. Mecha Rabbi Rabu Rabu (various)

  
There was only one Mecha Rabbi plush keitai strap left in the display case, but there were two hands reaching toward it.  
  
"Excuse me," Fuji Syuusuke said, bumping Oshitari Yuushi with his hip. "I just need to get that and I'll be out of your way."  
  
Oshitari tried to budge Fuji over with his elbow. "I'm sorry, but Gakuto specifically requested this strap. I'm sure you can find an alternate." He shoved again, scraping his calloused elbow across Fuji's forearm.  
  
Fuji's foot collided oh so casually with the top of Oshitari's sneaker. "Sorry, my foot slipped.  
  
A knee slammed into the back of Fuji's thigh. "My body seems to have mind of its own," Oshitari said, also grabbing hold of Fuji's wrist. He stared the other tensai in the eye. "Perhaps I can purchase another charm for you. For your trouble."  
  
Wincing through the pain in his leg, Fuji brought his other arm around to grab Oshitari's free hand. He dug his nails in and gritted his teeth. "Please allow  _me_  to buy you a replacement."  
  
While the two tugged at one another, Ibu Shinji entered the shop. "I don't actually like Mecha Rabbi," he grumbled, snagging the strap, "I'm just getting it because it matches Kamio's favorite pants and, if we're a couple, we should have something that matches, but I don't want to look tacky and wear pink pants so I'll just get this phone strap so Akira will be happy…"  
  
Fuji threw off Oshitari. "Oh," he said. "It was a Mecha Rabbi strap. I thought it was something else. My mistake." Fuji grabbed a four leaf clover charm.  
  
Oshitari fixed his glasses and grabbed a Domo-kun strap. "I was also mistaken. Gakuto prefers Domo-kun to rabbits."  
  
The two left, phone straps in hand while, back at the shop, the clerk was still listening to Ibu Shinji's thoughts of Mecha Rabbi: The Carrot Crusade.


	4. Cat Ate It (Inukai)

The pants were too tight. That was the conclusion Kaidoh came to as he entered the rehearsal hall. His pants were too tight and his new bandmates were going to hate him.  
  
"Excuse me."  
  
Kaidoh turned at the hesitant tap on his shoulder. He look up, then up some more. "What?" He didn't mean to sound so put off, it was just the nerves.  
  
"I'm looking for studio 12. Do you know where it is? My map…" The stranger held up a tattered piece of paper. "Would you believe my cat ate it? He gets into everything." The stranger laughed and pushed thick boxframe glasses up his nose.  
  
"It's this way. I'm going there, too."   
  
"Ah, so you're our new bass player. Excellent." The stranger ran his hand down Kaidoh's back. "Kaidoh Kaoru, yes?"  
  
The real drawback of really tight pants was that they wouldn't let you properly kick someone in the groin. Your leg just couldn't go up high enough without compromising the stitching. "Yes," Kaidoh said, swinging his bag to place it between himself and his new bandmate. "What do you play? Tambourine?"  
  
"Keyboards," the megane guy laughed. "That was a good joke, Kaidoh." He adjusted his glasses again. "Inui. Inui Sadaharu. Nice to meet you." He put out his hand and Kaidoh ignored it.   
  
"We're here," Kaidoh said, opening the studio door. It was empty. He checked the instructions on his acceptance letter, then looked at the map. "Where is everyone?" He checked the letter again.  
  
Congratulatoins! You have been selected among over one hundred applicants! Our first practice will be Friday, August 12 at noon in Studio 12. Regards, Inui Sahadaru, band manager.  
  
Kaidoh threw the letter down. "I thought you played keyboards," he snapped, dragging Inui into the practice room.  
  
Inui adjusted his glasses. "I do," he said. "Unfortunately, my cat clawed at the wires and new wiring is on order. Would you like to come over sometime and have a look?"  
  
Kaidoh kicked Inui in the shin. "I'm sorry," he said, "my dog bit me in the leg earlier this week and the muscles do that sometimes."


	5. Picky Eater (Sengoku/Saeki)

Sengoku didn't consider himself to be a transparent kind of guy. He was spontaneous, lively. He was awesome.  
  
"You don't like celery, right? You keep picking around it. Here." Saeki stuck out his bowl.  
  
Sengoku looked at his bowl of stir fry and plucked up a piece of celery, plopping it in his mouth. "I like it fine," he said through a full mouth. "It's good." Truthfully, it tasted a lot like the pickled cabbage around it. Celery wasn't a food in Sengoku's opinion; it was a garnish.  
  
"Hurry up," Saeki sighed, tapping Sengoku's bowl with his chopsticks. "You don't like it and I do so hand it over. I'll give you my carrots since you like them more than I do."  
  
Sengoku opened his mouth to argue but was, instead, fed a carrot.  
  
"Don't bother trying to say you don't like them," Saeki said, plucking up a piece of celery. "Your nose twitches when you're thinking up a lie."  
  
Sengoku chomped on the carrot and glared. If Saeki weren't really hot, Sengoku would break up with him. Maybe for a whole week – plenty of time for Kojirou to miss all the glorious Kiyosumi love and care he received on a daily basis.  
  
"Hurry and eat so we don't miss our movie. And stop thinking of ways to dump me. You know you're not going to."  
  
"You're lucky you're cute," Sengoku mumbled, stabbing at the last celery piece and throwing it at Saeki's bowl. "Now where are my carrots?"


	6. Dance Your Cares Away (various)

Tezuka didn't have the ass for those pants. If you were going to wear flamenco pants, you had to  _wear_ them. Unlike Mr. Flat Ass, Jirou could work the pants, even half asleep and bored out of his skull.  
  
He was only at Asuka's School of Dance to appease his parents, who were both having a mid-life crisis and were trying to recapture their youth through Jirou, who was trying to nap through his youth and all the pimples and vocal cracks that went with it. Kabaji was supposed to wake him up after puberty was over and everything was normal again.  
  
"Stop staring," Tezuka said, rotating his hips like a crippled ox.   
  
Jirou yawned. "Your sucky dancing's the only interesting thing here," he said. He could see the hair on the back of Tezuka's neck bristle. "So, why're you here?"  
  
Tezuka stopped dancing and pushed sweaty hair off his megane. The sweat left little streaks and the Seigaku buchou tried to wipe it off with an equally sweaty sleeve. "I'm being social," Tezuka said, giving up and breathing on the glasses before diving into the one, too small pocket to get his handkerchief.   
  
Jirou gave him a thumbs up. "Keep it up. You're doing your parents proud."  
  
Glasses back in place, Tezuka spun on his heel and continued working on his hip movements while Jirou snickered between yawns.


	7. Contrary (Rikkai)

"No."  
  
At the word, the courts fell silent. Marui's bubble gum slowly deflated to rest against his chin, a giant green beard that Jackal had to clean up. Niou, in the middle of checking his mimicry of Yagyuu, grabbed onto the other boy's arm and stared.   
  
Kirihara held onto Renji's arm, shaking a little. "What's going on?" he whispered to his senpai.  
  
"Sanada, don't be unreasonable." Yukimura had Sanada by the chin and was pulling him down. Across the courts, first years began averting their eyes.  
  
"Absolutely not." Sanada tried to pull back but, if he pulled too hard, Seiichi's nails would dig into his chin.  
  
Yukimura pulled him down again. "Are you disobeying your captain?"  
  
Kirihara hid his face in Renji's jersey. "Tell me when it's over," he said.  
  
"This has nothing to do with tennis and I refuse."  
  
There was a pause as Seiichi waited and the remainder of the tennis club inched back. It was three minutes before Sanada finally relented. "Fine," he grumbled. Then, in a booming voice, "We're going for sushi after practice!"   
  
Kirihara uncurled from Renji and burst toward Yukimura. Marui drooled on the court and Jackal scuffed it out with his shoe.  
  
"You pay for yourselves!" Sanada added, eyeing the wet pool of slime at Marui's feet. "Now quit slacking and get back to work!"


	8. Shave (Rikkai)

He stared at it. How could he not? It was right there – so beautifully round, like the rubbery inside of a tennis ball after you sliced it open. The feel was the same, too, a little slippy-sticky and tough.  
  
"Akaya, I'm trying to put my shoes on. Please move." Jackal shoed Kirihara away but Akaya was stuck, transfixed on the brown beauty.  
  
"Jackal-senpai," Kirihara said, eyebrows knitting together, a trembling hand reaching forward. "I want to touch you."  
  
Kuwahara shot off the bench, one shoe tied, the other held in his hand, ready to be let loose. "Go talk to Yukimura," he said, backing away slowly. "He'll explain everything to you."  
  
"But I just want to touch you. Marui-senpai touches you all the time."  
  
"Hey now!" Marui poked his head out of the shower hall. "What the hell've you been telling him, huh?"  
  
It was hard to tell that Jackal was blushing but, after staring for so long, Kirihara could see little bits of red around Jackal's cheeks. "I haven't been telling him anything!" Jackal clamped his hands down onto Kirihara's shoulders. "Akaya, please to talk to Yukimura. Or your mom. You shouldn't want to…"  
  
Kirihara reached out and gave Jackal's head a rub. "It's really nice, senpai. I'm gonna go shave so you can touch me, too!"


	9. Arctic (Silver Pair)

"I can't feel my toes, Shishido-san." Ohtori flexed a bare foot.  
  
Shishido chucked a snowball at his doubles partner. "Buck up, Choutarou! It's just a litte farther."  
  
Ohtori sighed and continued stomping through the calf-deep snow. "I don't think this is a good idea," he mumbled. Shishido didn't hear him. "Shishido-san," he said a little louder, "is this really a tradition with your family?"  
  
"You think I'm lying?" Even though they were walking through Shishido's backyard in nothing but boxer shorts, Shishido still had his cap on, which was unfair – Ohtori didn't get to wear a hat.  
  
"I was just wondering." Ohtori grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at Shishido's head, knocking off his hat. "Let's hurry, Shishido-san, before the neighbors see!" Running past, he grabbed Ryou's hand and lead them toward a small wading pool of water.   
  
"Wait! It's cold!"  
  
Grinning, Ohtori picked Shishido up and chucked him into the pool. "You're right, Shishido-san. This polar bear thing is pretty fun." Before Ryou could pull him in, Ohtori started back to the house. "I'll get the tea ready, Shishido-san. No need to hurry out on my account."


	10. The Sanada Strategy (various)

"You're not playing. What a pity." Yukimura took Chitose's unopened can of Ponta, snapped the top open, and took a drink. "I was hoping to play you in the finals, but your team – excuse me, your former team – is going to lose."  
  
Chitose shrugged and held out his hand. "100 yen please."  
  
Yukimura tossed a coin. "Shiraishi must be livid. I know I would never let a member of  _my_  team just wander off." He took another drink before examining the can. "This is disgusting. You finish it." He shoved the can back into Chitose's hands.  
  
"Thanks,' Chitose said, guzzling down the soda. "Mmm. It always tastes better with your backwash, Seiichi." He threw the can into a nearby bin before scraping at a mustard stain leftover from a tofu dog that afternoon. "I should go see how Kippei's doing in the infirmary. See ya round."  
  
"How sad, answering to the beck and call of Fudomine. You'll never see a member of Rikkai- "  
  
"Hey, is that Sanada?" While Yukimura's back was turned, Chitose hustled away. He'd pick up another Ponta before he got there – and he wouldn't tell Kippei that Yukimura Seiichi bought it for him, that would just piss the Fudomine captain off, even though Kippei would be glad to know the Sanada Strategy still worked.


	11. The Dance Electric (Hyoutei)

At seven years old, Shishido didn't know much about Michael Jackson other than that the music videos gave him an excuse to grab his crotch and shout "whew!" every third line.  
  
"Stop that," Atobe said, throwing a sock at Shishido's head and missing. Shishido's dog dove for the sock and dutifully returned it, plus slobber.   
  
"Check it out, Atobe. I can moonwalk." Shishido slid his feet backward on the carpet and tripped, crashing into the couch.  
  
Atobe threw the sock again, entranced with this dog who obviously knew how wonderful Atobe was and was trying to serve him with all its canine heart. Why was such a lovely creature stuck with Shishido? "I'm taking this home," he announced, grabbing hold of the golden retriever.  
  
Shishido moonwalked to Atobe and zapped him on the nose with static electricity. "Beat it," he said, scuffing his foot and zapping again.  
  
That day, Shishido Ryou got the snot kicked out of him by a very upset Atobe Keigo. Later, Keigo was punished and made to watch soap operas with his mother, who was allergic to dogs.


	12. Buchou Talk (various)

This was lame. He finally convinced Tezuka to hang out and the date was crashed.  
  
"Check it out! Koshimae's face is all red!" Kintarou poked at Echizen's cheek. "Check it out Shiraishi-buchou!"  
  
Shiraishi pulled Kintarou back and handed him a pair of bowling shoes. "Kenya's cousin invited us down," he explained to Tezuka. "It's nice of you to share the lane, though."  
  
"It's cheaper," Tezuka said. He examined his aqua bowling ball and frowned. "The weight's wrong. I'll be back."  
  
Echizen watched the two captains leave, Shiraishi chatting and waving his bandaged arm in the air. Tezuka, like always, was silent and very serious in his bowling ball selection.  
  
"Shiraishi-buchou's no fun sometimes." Kintarou plopped onto a plastic bench and began lacing his shoes. "I bet he's trying to schedule a secret match while they're over there."  
  
"Buchou doesn't do secret matches. I've tried." The shoes were already making Echizen's feet sweat. He wanted to go home. "He probably won't say anything. Just nod or ignore him. He ignores me."  
  
"At least he doesn't try to poison you."  
  
Echizen looked at his can of Ponta and set it aside. "Not yet."


	13. Dusting the Trophy (Hyoutei)

  
"It's a shame you weren't able to escalate a grade when you were younger, Ohtori. If you had, you might be graduating with us." Atobe was polishing the trophies in the clubhouse display case. It was his only chore.  
  
Ohtori smiled and searched in his pocket for the tube of chapstick he'd put in there at lunch. A nice, oily smear on last year's third place nationals trophy would be a bitch to clean up. The oil would get caught in the grooves of the billowing tennis shirt and Atobe would have to get out the small scrub brush. It would take him at least twenty minutes to get the trophy clean again and, by that time, Shishido-san would already be on his way home and Atobe's stupid plan of intercepting Shishido-san as he passed the clubhouse on the way to the bus stop would be ruined.   
  
Oh damn.  
  
"It is a shame," Ohtori said, twisting off the cap to the tube.  
  
"You're needed here next year, of course. Someone has to uphold our fine tradition." Atobe moved the trophy out of Ohtori's reach. He was probably picking something up with that Insight of his.  
  
"Hey Choutarou, your mom called and…" Shishido opened the door and stared. "I didn't know you guys were busy. Sorry. Uh…your mom called for you, Choutarou. She said your phone wasn't on so she called me instead. Uh…give her a call when you're done, I guess." Shishido closed the door and trotted away.  
  
Atobe threw down his towel and Ohtori put the cap back on his chapstick before both ran out of the clubhouse yelling, "It isn't what you think!" loud enough for the whole campus to hear what was obviously a lousy cover-up.


	14. When Squirrels Attack (Seigaku)

"Why is there a squirrel chasing Echizen?"  
  
Before those words spilled out of Momoshiro's mouth, the entire tennis court was rapt, watching as Echizen Ryoma fended off a particularly vicious squirrel.  
  
"Ochibi spilled some Ponta on his shoe and the squirrel licked it off," Eiji explained. "Now the squirrel wants more."  
  
"Oh." Momo settled in next to Fuji. "My bike's unlocked, Echizen! Go for it!"  
  
"The squirrel's friends are probably already chewing through the tires," Fuji said, pointing toward the bike racks. "Squirrels are very smart, you know."  
  
"My bike!" Momoshiro took off, flailing his arms in the air and shouting about rodent stew.  
  
"That was cold, Fujiko." Eiji looked from Momo to Echizen, unable to decide which spectacle was more entertaining. "Where's Kaidoh?"  
  
"He's hiding." Fuji took out a rubber snake from his pocket. "He forgot about Kouhai Appreciation Day, too."


	15. Ouiji (Seigaku)

Team parties were stupid and Kaidoh wanted to go home.  
  
"Answer the question, Mamushi!" Momoshiro's mouth was full of Twinkie cream and chip shards and, when he talked, bits sprayed across the Ouiji board Inui-senpai brought.  
  
"It's a stupid question," Kaidoh argued, hugging his pillow closer to his stomach. He'd try to hide behind Tezuka-buchou, but buchou had a one foot radius rule in effect after Eiji declared it was Hug a Buchou Hour and Tezuka nearly had his megane teddy bear flannel pjs ripped off when Echizen and Fuji both declared that Tezuka's left arm was their special spot.  
  
"Hurry up so we can finish and go to bed, senpai." Echizen was on his tenth Ponta of the evening. His hands were shaking and he hadn't blinked in the last two hours.   
  
Kaidoh curled into himself further and stared at the Ouiji board. The magnifying glass began to move.  
  
I.  
  
N.  
  
U.  
  
I.  
  
Fuji's eyes shot open. "You're a medium, Kaidoh. How wonderful." He scooted next to Kaidoh, who had plastered himself to the wall after N.   
  
"I'm touched," Inui said. He was laying on his stomach, his face and hands mostly obscured by his notebook. "I would gladly go out with you. If you were a girl of course."  
  
"It….I…move…" Despite Fuji's best efforts to calm him down, Kaidoh was still shaking and white as a sheet.  
  
"Me next!" Echizen cried. "When is buchou gonna ask me out?" he asked the Ouiji board.  
  
All eyes watched as the magnifier buzzed across the board.  
  
"Mada mada da ne."


	16. The Mystery of the Blue Clovers (Seigaku)

"Don't touch it!"  
  
Tezuka froze as he was about to put his foot down. He examined the floor and, seeing a white plastic packet with blue clovers on it, sidestepped the obstacle, allowing Eiji to continue his investigation.  
  
"What do you think it is, Eiji-senpai?" Momo leaned over Eiji's back to get a good look at the thing.   
  
"It could be a Hyoutei spy device," Kikumaru reasoned. "It's blue."  
  
"It's a tampon," Echizen said. "My cousin leaves the wrappers lying around the bathroom all the time."  
  
"Or it could be an explosive," Eiji said, ignoring Echizen, who was a kid and didn't know anything about feminine products. Eiji had sisters and knew, for a fact, that tampon wrappers were white with pink balloons, not blue clovers.  
  
Inui coughed and moved forward with his racquet. He circled the item. He poked at it. He stared. "The data is inconclusive," he said. "We'll have to open it."  
  
"It's going to explode if we do!" Eiji grabbed onto Inui's arm as the other boy went to pick the item up.  
  
A tennis ball slammed into the item from above and spun, shucking it of its wrapper. The ball bounced up and hit Momo in the head.  
  
"Tampon, confirmed," Inui said, nodding to Echizen.


	17. Twisted (OsaGin)

Gin's hand stung and his right ankle was twisted. The twisted ankle wasn't from the match, but from Osamu, who kept pulling Gin down and supporting him on a bony shoulder even though Gin was perfectly capable of walking. "You can let go now," Gin said, wincing when he stepped wrong.  
  
"Have to care for my players' health. It's part of the job." Osamu winked and, for a brief moment, Gin felt a palm graze his backside.   
  
"My mom's watching," Gin hissed. "And my brother. Cut it out."  
  
Osamu snickered but stood straighter, looping his arm around Gin's waist. "Are you hot? Want my hat?"  
  
"If I take your hat, where are you going to keep your cigarettes? Besides, I'm fine. Go coach before Kenya freaks out." If Gin's mom saw Osamu's fingers tickling Gin's side, she was going to pull him out of school and have Osamu arrested. Or she'd call Gin's father and Ishida-san would pop Osamu's head like a grape. "You can buy me dinner after we win."  
  
"Gin-saaaaan, I don't have any money." Osamu pulled out his pockets and flapped the fabric around like a penguin's flippers. "How about I cook you something instead?"  
  
"Instant ramen?" Gin guessed, sitting carefully in the bleachers.  
  
"My specialty." Osamu tipped his hat down and smiled, the sides of his mouth barely visible around the brim. "See you in a bit, honey."  
  
Gin stared up at the sky, wondering how he got saddled with such a loon. Maybe Osamu and Koharu were related, that would explain it.


	18. Lunch Guest (GinKin)

Ishida Gin did not concern himself with the petty squabbling of his classmates. He had no interest in fashion or who finished laps first at practice. He knew, with certainty born of long acquaintance, that Kenya would always finish laps first and that black never went out of style.  
  
Ishida Gin wore jungle green and, when his parents insisted, clean grey pinstripe suits. If forced, he would wear pink or Hawaiian print. He did not believe in belts or bracelets or any of the ridiculous pins that Shiraishi clipped to himself just so he would sparkle more.  
  
"I brought it Gin-san!" Kintarou ran in, a bento swinging beside him. "I made you red bean this time!" Despite running across half the campus and up three flights of stairs, Kintarou wasn't even breathing hard. The freshman could out run Kenya, easy, but he didn't because he didn't want to be disrespectful.   
  
Gin approved.  
  
"Thank you," he told the freshman, taking the bento with a reverential nod. "Join me?"  
  
Kintarou's eyes widened and he smiled, flashing clean white teeth. His father was a dentist and bleached the cola stains out regularly. "Can I? Really? Awesome!" He hooked a leg around a nearby desk and dragged it over before leaning forward to help Gin set out the three tier bento.  
  
Even though some of the other students were grumbling because a freshman was allowed to sit next to Gin-san and everyone else was shooed away, the creases in Gin's forehead softened and relaxed.


	19. Just an Observation (Inukai)

Kaidoh didn't have the heart to tell Inui-senpai that he thought 'Waterfall' was a stupid name for a tennis move. He also didn't have the heart to say that shouting your skill's name while playing was equally as stupid. Inui-senpai seemed really excited at how impressed everyone was with the new serve and Kaidoh didn't want to ruin the mood.  
  
Kaidoh  _did_  tell Inui-senpai everything else he thought about the match, though.  
  
"Mukahi should tuck in his shirt if he's going to flip around like that," he hissed while they jogged to cool down.  
  
"I believe the billowing of the shirt creates a parachute effect to keep him in the air for prolonged periods of time." Inui moved half a step closer. "Of course, with Hyoutei there is always an element of unsavory ego and exhibitionism to be considered. There is a high probability that Mukahi-kun has a future as a nudist."  
  
"And what's with all that Gekokujou crap? Does that guy even know what he's saying?" Why couldn't tennis matches be quiet. Grunting when you hit the ball was one thing, trying to chat up your opponent was another. Maybe if Hyoutei shut the hell up and focused on tennis, they'd win more. The same went for Momoshiro, the idiot.   
  
The Kabaji kid seemed decent. Maybe Seigaku could trade the loud mouth for Kabaji.  
  
"Kaidoh, you seem overly preoccupied with Hyoutei. Are you thinking of transferring?" Inui looked around before removing his glasses and wiping a drop of sweat off one of the lenses. "I would be disappointed if I couldn't see you perform for Seigaku next year."  
  
"I'm not going anywhere, senpai." Kaidoh smiled before adding, "I was just making an observation." He liked to use Inui's favorite phrase because he knew Inui liked hearing him say it.  
  
"Tezuka's match will be starting soon. There will be plenty to observe." Inui tucked a piece of Kaidoh's hair back under the bandana. "When today's matches are over, we should get something to eat. You burned more calories than usual in today's game. Afterward, we should partake of a relaxation activity."  
  
"Dinner and a movie sounds fine, senpai." Kaidoh fixed Inui's tilted glasses then shoved his hands in his pockets. "Tell Tezuka-buchou to win quickly so the Golden Pair can get to their match and we can leave. I'm hungry."  
  
Inui laughed and patted Kaidoh's shoulder. "I'll see what I can do."


	20. Maximize (Rikkai)

Kirihara kept getting weird emails from Americans, asking him about his size and if his performance was adequate. They said they could help him, but they wanted him to make a thirty day commitment to their program. Thirty days was a long time, especially since he and Marui-senpai had only been going out for two weeks now. Well, officially going out. Marui said the secret stuff for the four months before that didn't count.  
  
In the locker room, Kirihara tugged on Niou's sleeve. "Hey senpai, how do you know if your performance is down?"   
  
Niou blinked, then shrugged. "Does the ball get in the service court every game?"  
  
The problem with Niou-senpai was that he spoke in riddles and Kirihara wasn't very good at that kind of thing. "Yeah, I think so." Kirihara couldn't really remember  _every_  time, but he was pretty sure he never missed the mark.  
  
"Do you dominate the game? Control the flow?"  
  
Did Niou know about last Thursday? Kirihara promised he'd never breathe a word about that but, if Niou knew, then he was going to blab about it and Bunta would get pissy and ignore Kirihara and make him do his own English homework instead of letting him copy notes from last year.  
  
"I guess you could say so," was Kirihara's reply. "I don't really think about it that way, though."   
  
"Then your performance sounds fine to me. Hey, you seen Yagyuu? He owes me 500 yen." Niou grabbed his bag and looked around. "Asshole, he ran off. I'm going to his house. See ya!"  
  
Niou-senpai needed to stop lending money to Yagyuu-senpai. Yagyuu never paid money back, he just talked his way out of paying you back while he borrowed more money.  
  
"Hey! Hurry the hell up!" Marui threw Sanada's shoe at Kirihara's head. "Mom's got dinner almost done and she said you could stay over tonight."  
  
Kirihara snickered and ran after Marui. Tonight, he'd make sure he was in the service court and dominating the game. He didn't need Roger, Hugh, or Nicky's help to maximize his performance.


	21. Rumor Mill (Rikkai)

A lot of talk went on at the Senbatsu camp, and a lot of lies. Most of the talk centered around Tezuka but a few rumors, mainly started by his teammates, revolved around Sanada Genichirou.  
  
One day, Echizen Ryoma decided to see if the rumors were true. Armed with a walnut the braided girl in the kitchen got for him, Echizen staked out the gym until Sanada, followed by Kirihara and Yanagi, arrived.   
  
"Crack it," Echizen said, shoving the walnut forward.  
  
Sanada took the walnut and crushed it in his fist before throwing it in Echizen's face. "I don't have time to play games," he said. Kirihara and Renji kindly escorted Echizen out.  
  
The next day, during breakfast, Echizen returned with another walnut. "Atobe said your ass was so toned you could crack a walnut with it." He shoved the walnut forward. "Here."  
  
Sanada's eyebrow twitched.  
  
"Really fukubuchou? That's awesome!" Kirihara stole the walnut from Echizen and waved it in front of Sanada's slowly sharpening eyes.   
  
"I'll call Seiichi," Renji said. "He'll want to know about this." He turned to Echizen. "You said Atobe gave you this information?"  
  
Echizen nodded, not caring that Yanagi was grinning the way Fuji-senpai did when he got the last egg sandwich and Echizen was in line behind him, deliberately telling the whole cafeteria that he was having egg sandwich today. Fuji-senpai didn't even like egg sandwiches.  
  
"Do it, fukubuchou!"  
  
"Hello, Seiichi? It's Renji. You may want to come down."  
  
Sanada crushed the walnut in his hand again but, instead of throwing it, he handed it to Kirihara. "Did you know Echizen can breathe walnut shells, Akaya?" Sanada returned to his breakfast while Echizen ran from a red-eyed demon.


	22. Ponta Showdown (various)

Yukimura disliked being wrong. He disliked it even more when certain individuals pointed out that he was wrong.  
  
"Na, Yukimura. It looks like he chose the grape flavor." Atobe Keigo ran his fingers through hair that wasn't there. "Perhaps he's lost his taste for melon, ah?"  
  
"Sanada's change in Ponta preference is insignificant." When the hell did Sanada change flavors? Was it while Yukimura was in the hospital? Was he just having a pissy day and being contrary? "If you have a point in all of this, feel free to make it."  
  
Atobe's chest puffed out and he strode toward the vending machine where Sanada stood, drinking his grape Ponta. "Sanada! My family is throwing a party this weekend and you are privileged to be on the guest list."  
  
Sanada continued to drink his Ponta.  
  
Yukimura snickered then, in his buchou voice said, "Sanada!"  
  
Sanada turned, handed Atobe his unfinished Ponta, and walked up to Seiichi. "Something wrong?"  
  
With an eye to the infuriated Hyoutei captain, Yukimura tapped his shoulder. "There's a knotted muscle. Would you mind?"  
  
Yukimura hummed to himself while Sanada's fingers dug into his muscles and Atobe crushed the Ponta can, squirting grape soda over his clean jersey.


	23. Delicate Questions (Rikkai)

Kirihara pulled Niou aside and asked in a whisper, "Don't you think Buchou and Fukubuchou kinda…hang out a lot?"  
  
Niou did his best not to laugh but the question was so painfully ridiculous that he couldn't help himself. "Kinda," he snickered. "Maybe they're cousins or something and don't want to tell us."  
  
"Cousins?" Kirihara stared at Yukimura's locker, biting his lip as he thought this new information over. "I don't touch my cousin the way Buchou touches Fukubuchou."  
  
"Ah…what do you mean by touch?" If those two were scarring Kirihara's fragile childhood, Niou was going to have some words with them. Sanada would probably beat the crap out of him, but there was a time and a place for that stuff. Niou and Yagyuu chose Thursdays after practice in a karaoke lounge.  
  
"Buchou's always giving Fukubuchou massages and stuff. I never get my cousin to give me massages." Akaya scratched his head. "My cousin's pretty dumb, though, so I doubt he knows how to give massage. Still, Buchou only gives massages to Fukubuchou. It's weird."  
  
"They have a special relationship, Akaya. Why don't you ask Yanagi about it? I'm sure he's got lots of information." Yes, let Renji explain where Sanada and Yukimura snuck off to after practice and why. It was Thursday and Niou was late.


	24. Chibi Visitation (Maruihara)

"Akaya! Door!"  
  
Kirihara bolted from his room, abandoning his Playstation in the hopes that Bunta was surprising him with a visit. "Coming!" He ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time, then slowed before he rounded the corner to the entryway. He checked his hair in the mirror – mussed but not sloppy. His shirt was clean and his face didn't have any cheese bits on it from the cheesy corn he was snacking just a moment ago. Grin in place – excited but not _too_ excited - he rounded the corner.  
  
"Hi!" two small not-Bunta's said, waving.   
  
"We need to talk to you," Marui Ryuichi said.  
  
"Out here," Marui Hiroki clarified, grabbing his twin's hand and swinging it between them as they made their way to the side of Kirihara's house.  
  
Perhaps Kirihara should've been more specific while quietly praying that Marui would visit him. "What do you brats want?"  
  
"What'd you get him?" Ryuichi asked. He reached down and scooped up a soccer ball Akaya'd left in the yard last weekend.   
  
"We figured you probably forgot about Valentine's Day so we came to remind you and make sure you don't screw things up." Hiroki caught the ball as his brother tossed it.   
  
It took Kirihara the better part of a month before he could distinguish between the Marui twins. Now he couldn't see how anyone thought they were similar. They were both vicious, protective bastards, though, and the first thing Kirihara was going to do when he and Bunta moved in together was make sure the little rats didn't know where their apartment was. Having them pick the lock to Bunta's room while Kirihara was trying to make his move resulted in the shittiest day of Kirihara's life. Bunta's scream woke his grandfather up and he came rushing to save his grandson only to find him half naked under Kirihara, whose eyes had gone red because he was allergic to the damn cats in Marui's house.  
  
"I remember and I'm not going to screw it up," Kirihara said, even though he didn't have a damn clue what he was getting Bunta. All the girls in school were going to give him chocolate – and Akaya was under orders not to rip out any hair or otherwise injure any of the girls – so that plan was shot.  
  
"Diamonds are good," Ryuichi suggested, still tossing the soccer ball back and forth with his brother. "He got you something really cool, so you better make sure he feels appreciated."  
  
"Did that damn old man send you here?" Akaya asked. Bunta's grandfather said he'd keep his mouth quiet if Kirihara paid him 5000 yen, which Akaya did. The bastard still told Bunta's mom and dad, so now Kirihara had to sleep on the guest futon whenever he stayed at Marui's place.   
  
Hiroki threw the soccer ball at Kirihara's head but missed by a foot. "Be nice or we'll tell Bunta!"  
  
Bunta knew what Kirihara thought of his grandfather and Kirihara was pretty sure Bunta shared his sentiments. The old man also sent a letter to Akaya's family, earning Bunta the guest futon. "Would you scram already? I've got important stuff to do."  
  
"He didn't buy anything," Hiroki mock-whispered.  
  
"That's fine. He'll get dumped and we'll have Bunta-nii all to ourselves again." Ryuichi gave Hiroki a high touch and the demon twins skipped away, humming what Kirihara suspected was the Doraemon theme.  
  
Little shits.


	25. One Week Silence (Silver Pair)

For a week, Shishido didn't show up to school or practice. He didn't call and his phone always went to voicemail on the second ring. Friday after school, Ohtori excused himself from the second half of practice and went to Shishido's house under the pretense of bringing the week's homework, which was collected by Atobe, even though the captain claimed some girl handed it to him in the hallway.  
  
Ohtori rang the doorbell and waited. Shishido's dog, Ichigo, wasn't barking. Perhaps Ryou took him for a walk.   
  
Ohtori rang the bell again and finally heard footsteps coming from the direction of the side stairs. "Coming!" Shishido's brother called. His voice was deeper than Ryou's and he slurred the ends of his words. The door opened. "Ryou's in his room. Go on up." Shishido's brother also lacked people skills. It was a family trait.  
  
"Shishido-san?" Ohtori tapped at the door, even though it was halfway open. "Shishido-san, I brought your homework for you. I – I was worried so I thought I'd come over and…" He trailed off when he caught sight of Shishido, curled in a ball in the corner of his bed.  
  
"Choutarou?" Shishido's voice was gritty, like he was coughing out his words.  
  
Walking into the room, Ohtori shut the door. Shishido looked up from a cocoon of blankets. His eyes were drooping and his hair was flying in every direction. On the nightstand next to the bed was a collar.   
  
Ohtori didn't say anything, just dove for the bed and wrapped Shishido in a hug while Ryou brokenly related the story. He was taking Ichigo for a walk at the park when Ichigo pulled too hard and the leash went flying from Shishido's hand. It was the afternoon and the streets were busy.  
  
"It's okay, Shishido-san. I'm here." Ohtori said, over and over until Shishido fell asleep, wheezing through his runny nose. While Shishido slept, clinging to Choutarou's shirt, Ohtori pulled Shishido's homework from his backpack. It was already completed.


	26. Slash It (Rikkai)

_Yukimura smacked Sanada across the head before being pressed down onto the tufty goodness of the mattress._  
  
"Akaya?" Renji stared at Kirihara's notebook. "What is this?"  
  
Kirihara flew across the room, grabbed his notebook, and shoved it under his shirt. "Nothing! It's nothing!" His face was as red as his eyes during his match against Sanada yesterday.  
  
"Are you doing your English exercises using Seiichi and Genichirou?" Renji was blushing and reaching forward to pull the notebook from Kirihara. "You might want to use your thesaurus and find something better than 'tufty goodness.' It breaks the mood."  
  
Kirihara's eyes flashed red. "You never read anything! You didn't see anything!"  
  
"Of course not." Yanagi looked down to his own homework. "Of course," he said, covering over the half-written Kanji for Marui, "should you require someone to edit your assignment, I will be glad to assist."


	27. Slash It Again (Rikkai)

"I'm flexible, but nobody can bend _that much_." Marui paused and thought a moment. "Maybe that guy from Jyousei. What was his name?"  
  
"Kajiwara?" Yukimura offered, shrugging. He looked down at the piece of paper in his hands. "Sanada's really…exaggerated here."  
  
"You think he'd look during showers or something to make sure he's being accurate." Marui scowled. "And I don't scream like a girl. I don't scream at all."  
  
"So the other information is accurate, then?" Yukimura coughed as he finished perusing the manuscript in front of him. "Perhaps I'll put this in Genichirou's locker. It has some…interesting ideas."  
  
Marui leaned over Seiichi's shoulder and snickered. "He'd never wear a maid costume and use a feather duster to – damn, that kid needs help." He took a handkerchief from his pocket. "Your nose's bleeding, Seiichi."  
  
Yukimura shrugged. "Happens every time we have locker inspections. Hurry up. I want to read yours."


	28. Biology (various)

  
"You guys go ahead. I'll be over here." Niou all but grabbed onto the vending machine.   
  
Kirihara squinted then poked Niou in the stomach. "You feeling okay, senpai? This is nationals so you can't be getting sick."  
  
"Niou is in excellent health," Yagyuu assured. Niou thought he saw a wink through the side of his partner's megane, but he couldn't be sure.   
  
Niou caught a flash of a cap in the distance. "Isn't Yukimura waiting for you guys? Shouldn't you be going? I'll be right there, just need a drink."  
  
Yagyuu ushered Kirihara away, talking about Kirihara's new sneakers to distract the younger boy from the sweat now dripping down Niou's neck.   
  
If anyone saw them together, it would all be over. Niou would get kicked off the team. He was the enemy, after all, wasn't he?  
  
"Hey kid, you got a stomach ache or something?" Osamu ambled up, hand digging in his pocket. "I think I've got some stuff in here. Wait a sec."  
  
"I'm fine," Niou said. "Mom's fine, too, so you don't need to worry about money or anything."  
  
Osamu scratched at the back of his head. "Do you have some?"  
  
"Some what?" The yearly dialogue with his biological father was one of Niou's least favorite events. At least, most years, it didn't occur in public, at nationals, where everyone on his team could see and mock him for being the spawn of a lazyass hippy.  
  
"Money. I'm a little short this month, gave my last couple yen to one of the kids for some shoelaces."   
  
If this weren't the guy who knocked up his mother, then Niou might've been inclined to think Osamu was a good guy. Niou's mom dumped the loser, though, so any feelings of camaraderie were nullified by a lifetime of "that overgrown child" and "why can't he hold a real job?" Still, Niou pulled out a few 100 yen coins and dropped them into Osamu's hand. "That didn't happen," he clarified before the man could give thanks. "And you didn't see me."  
  
Reaching out, Osamu ruffled Niou's hair as best he could through hardened gel. "You're a good kid," he said. "You're lucky your mom hates me. I would've messed you up. Come on down this summer and I'll show you around." Osamu said it ever year and, every year, Niou found an excuse not to go. He was going to be in high school next year, though, and maybe he should just chill out a bit.  
  
"I'm not buying food for you when I come," he said. "I'll email you when I know what day I'm coming. You better meet me at the train station. Got it?"  
  
Osamu gave him a thumbs up then ambled back toward his team. Niou got a fruit juice from the vending machine and guzzled half of it down before starting to his own area. Yagyuu was waiting, no doubt expecting an explanation. Niou would tell him the fruit juice refused to come out and he had to get rough with the vending machine. Yagyuu probably wouldn't buy it, but he wouldn't call Niou on it, either, just like he wouldn't ask where Niou was going for one week this summer.


	29. Fabric Concerns (Inukai)

There were tennis balls in Inui-senpai's underwear drawer. Not that Kaidoh was spying, Inui-senpai was in the bathroom and forgot to bring a pair so he asked Kaidoh to get them. He didn't want to walk through the cold hallway without them.  
  
Having tennis balls in your underwear drawer was weird, even for Inui-senpai. Kaidoh grabbed a pair of boxers – Inui-senpai liked to sleep in boxers and a t-shirt when it was cold, just boxers when it was hot – and started to the bathroom.  
  
Inui was singing.  
  
"Senpai?" Kaidoh called, tapping at the door, hoping the knocking could be heard above Inui's off-key rendition of It Had to Be You. Inui-senpai didn't know all the words to the song so he substituted a lot of bumbum's and dodo's.   
  
Kaidoh knocked harder and tried not to laugh when he heard something clatter to the ground, probably Inui's toiletries bucket.  
  
"I'll be right there, Kaidoh." More clattering followed before Inui cracked the door open and stuck out his hand. "Thank you," he said, fingers wiggling for the boxers that were still gripped near Kaidoh's side.  
  
"Senpai?" Kaidoh asked, still bothered. "Why are there tennis balls in your underwear drawer?"  
  
"When I close the drawer the friction of the balls acts as a fabric softener. May I have my underwear now please, Kaidoh?" Inui wiggled his fingers again.  
  
Kaidoh moved the boxers toward Inui's hand, waiting until his senpai had a firm grip on the cloth before letting go. Inui's fingers continued to move around, even with the boxers in hand. Kaidoh stared at them and the waving blue fabric with two large latte mugs on the backside and a disproportioned biscotti on the front.   
  
"Did you happen to bring my shirt was well, Kaidoh?"  
  
"I thought you had it." Kaidoh didn't remember being asked to bring a shirt.  
  
"If you could, it's in the second drawer from the top. Please don't be alarmed by the contents. I keep the fabric hardener in that particular drawer."


	30. The Intern (Seigaku)

Being an unpaid intern wasn't all that bad, he got free coffee and was privy to all the latest news on the local tennis circuit. Of course, talking to Inui would give him better information and Taka-san made a really mean latte, but Momoshiro couldn't depend on his senpai for everything, could he?  
  
"Momoshiro-kun, do you have those photos yet?" Momoshiro's supervisor was a plump man with bottle-thick glasses. "We need to get them to the proofer by 5."  
  
Momoshiro looked a the photos in his hand, all of Echizen. Who wanted to read about that little runt anyway? He was stealing the spotlight from cooler people, like Momo.   
  
The picture of Echizen in the cat pajamas was really kinda cute, though. That creepy old lady photographer probably snuck into Echizen's house to take it. As a good senpai, Momo should destroy it.  
  
"I've got them right here," Momoshiro told his supervisor, plunking the folder of photos down on the desk.  
  
"Hmm." The old man sorted through the glossies, squinting at them as if he knew anything about photography. "The human interest photo is very innovative. I've never seen a hamburger eaten in such a manner."  
  
Momo patted the wallet in his pocket. He'd miss the photo from their post-Senbatsu pig out, but he had a better one now.


	31. Boycott (Seigaku)

  
"What are you doing, Echizen?" Momo stared at the freshman, dressed in his school uniform, sipping at a Ponta.  
  
"I'm boycotting," Echizen said. He stared into his can. "I'm almost out. Go buy me another one."  
  
"You can't boycott team activities or you'll get the Jiru." Momo shivered at the memory of Inui's latest creation. It was pink and sparkly. Inui said the sparkly bits were mica…for mineral balance.  
  
Echizen reclined onto the grass. "I'm not going." He tilted his Ponta can and purple soda splashed out onto his nose.  
  
"Echizen!"  
  
Echizen sat up, straight backed with wide eyes. "Yes, buchou!" By now, the salute was reflexive. Whatever Tezuka did to put the fear of God into Echizen must've been really awesome. Momo wished he was there to watch.  
  
"It's time to go," Fuji said, materializing from behind Tezuka. "We saved you a seat next to Taka-san."  
  
"You're going to pass him his racquet as soon as I fall asleep," Echizen grumbled. He chucked his empty Ponta can toward a bin and missed.  
  
"Don't litter," Tezuka said. "Momoshiro, get on the bus."  
  
Momo stared from the team bus to Echizen and back. "Where am I sitting?" Momo asked, scratching the back of his head.  
  
"The only place left was the seat between Inui and Kaidoh." Fuji didn't really need to look so happy about that. "If you don't hurry, you'll have to sit on the roof. You know how Inui gets when he starts dozing off."  
  
Momo and Echizen looked to one another, then to Tezuka-buchou. "I'm sick," Echizen said, standing. "Momo's taking me home."  
  
Before Tezuka or Fuji had time to comment, Momo and Echizen were a block away.


	32. Get a Room (Rikkai)

When Kirihara opened the door to the clubhouse, the can of coffee he stole from Niou at lunch slipped from his hands, its contents arching as the can fell. Akaya's mom would kill him for staining his uniform pants again. Then she'd kill him a second time for drinking artificially sweetened beverages without permission. Aspartame, she said, was going to kill Akaya's generation.  
  
"Sanada."  
  
Akaya wanted to close the door, very much so, but his muscles just weren't working. His fingers twitched, his arm tremored, but nothing came of it. He just stood there, dumb.  
  
"Sanada."  
  
He didn't know buchou could bend that way, or that fukubuchou really _could_ pick up another person with one arm like it was nothing.   
  
"What's up?" Marui rapped his knuckles on the top of Akaya's head then dug his fingers through Kirihara's black curls. It was a stupid habit and Akaya hated when Bunta did it, but he couldn't very well say that. Bunta would get upset, and when Bunta was upset, he bugged Jackal, and when Jackal was annoyed, Yanagi didn't have anyone to rant at so he started withholding important information, like when Kirihara's math teacher was likely to give a pop quiz.   
  
"Yukimura."  
  
"You'd think he'd sound a little more into it." Niou pulled Marui's hand out of Akaya's hair and wedged himself between them, looping an arm around Marui's shoulders. "Think we should send out some invites? Charge admission?"  
  
Marui's head fell to the side, resting against Niou's arm. "They've gotta know we're here. We're not being quiet or anything."  
  
Kirihara figured that buchou probably wanted to show off Sanada again. He heard that Yukimura groped Sanada in the changerooms during gym last week, then again during lunch. Yukimura claimed that Sanada could hold up the nationals medal during sex and still have room left to satisfy.  
  
Buchou also took creative writing as an elective course.  
  
"Get your fucking hand off me." Marui's complaint was followed by a wheeze as his elbow connected with Niou's stomach. "Don't you have a doubles partner you can bug?"  
  
As far as weird days went, this was pretty standard. Weird days at Rikkai didn't usually involve so much groping – Kirihara figured the team must be bored since the season was, technically, over and practices were short, informal affairs – but the rest of it was on par.   
  
"Get a room, senpai." Kirihara kicked Niou and Marui into the clubhouse and shut the door. Any minute now, buchou would scream and Sanada would beat Niou into the ground for daring to spy. Any minute.   
  
Kirihara waited.  
  
Nothing. He opened the door a crack, just to see if the two idiots were dying a slow and painful death or if…fukubuchou and Niou were grinning at eachother and passing a small green container back and forth.  
  
Kirihara shut the door and went home. Exams were getting to his senpai's brains.


	33. Chocolate Glomp (Maruihara)

"What the hell is this?" Marui looked at the little brown things that sat, nestled in a bright pink velvet box.  
  
"They're chocolates," Kirihara said, beaming. He thought he did excellent for his first Valentine's Day. He managed to get into the chocolate shop early so no girls saw him buying a gift for Marui-senpai.  
  
Marui sniffed at the box. "This isn't chocolate, it's brown death." He gave the box back. "Here. You eat it."  
  
Kirihara shoved the box back. "I bought these for you with love! They're even sugar free so you won't get fat." He couldn't help but grin. "I want you to stay beautiful for as long as possible, senpai." That's what the ad for the chocolates said, helping you stay beautiful and still enjoy the romance of your magical day. Kirihara hoped the 'magical day' involved lots of cuddling and…other things on the couch. Holding hands in public would be okay, too. They hadn't done that yet.  
  
"Chocolate's not chocolate without the sugar. And I'm not gonna get fat." Marui put the top back on the box and tucked it under his arm.   
  
"You gained 2kg last month when you sprained your ankle and couldn't practice. What if you break your leg? I can't carry you the way fukubuchou carries buchou around when he gets dizzy." Akaya's shoulders slumped. "I was just trying to be thoughtful, senpai." He kicked at the ground with the worn toe of his sneakers.   
  
Marui sighed. "I know, I know." He coughed and reached into his tennis bag. "Here. I got these for you. Since you messed up mine, you've got to share."  
  
Kirihara's eyes fastened on the shiny red bow on the candy box. _His_ candy box. He grabbed at it then launched himself forward, climbing on top of his senpai. "You _do_ love me!" he shouted, clinging with his legs and arms.  
  
"Akaya, get off me. I'm gonna…" Too late. Marui crashed to the ground, his legs buckling under Akaya's weight. Marui snatched the chocolates back. "You're eating the sugar free ones," he said. "I'll get you some more on White Day if you're good."  
  
Kirihara snuggled into his senpai's side. "That's okay," he said, rubbing his nose into a ticklish spot just under Marui's armpit. "We can work hard to get rid of the weight together, right senpai? Lots of physical activity?"   
  
Marui shoved him off and stood up. "Forget it," he said, his cheeks flaring to life. "Just eat the chocolates. And don't grab me in public. I'm not Sanada."  
  
Kirihara reached over to where Marui tossed the box of chocolates and grabbed what looked like a caramel. "Hey senpai, this one looks good." He popped it into his mouth and stuck his tongue out. "Wanna taste?"  
  
Marui stomped away, face as red as his hair.


	34. Valentine Deferred (Hyoutei)

"Be silent!" Atobe snapped, using a heart shaped fly swatter to smack Oshitari across the head. "You're ruining ore-sama's wonderful surprise."  
  
"He sleeps like a freight train, Yuushi sneezing isn't going to wake him up." Gakuto fixed Yuushi's hair as best he could given that Yuushi's hair was usually…not so neat. "If you give him brain damage and we lose our next game, I don't want to hear you bitching."  
  
"Ore-sama does not bitch, he points out the painful truth to those not gifted with both intelligence and tennis skill." Atobe turned up his nose and continued sneaking toward the bench where Jirou was napping. "Prepare the confetti," he whispered. "Ready….ready….ready…"  
  
"Hey Atobe, what the hell're you doing sneaking around!?" Shishido and Ohtori waved from their picnic table across the lawn.  
  
"Huh?" Jirou sat up and looked around. "Atobe? What're you doing? Why do you have a fly swatter outside? You afraid of the mosquitos?"  
  
Mukahi dumped his basket of confetti on Atobe's head. "Happy Valentine's Day. Come on Yuushi, I'm hungry."  
  
Oshitari set his basket beside Jirou and hurried after his doubles partner.  
  
Shishido and Ohtori ran for it.  
  
"Aren't I supposed to get chocolate?" Jirou looked into the basket of confetti. "There isn't any chocolate in here, Atobe." He yawned and collapsed back onto the bench. "Wake me up when there's candy."  
  
The fly swatter in Atobe's fist bent under the heat of his grasp. "Attention!" he shouted, stilling all activity in the quad. "Ore-sama is officially cancelling Valentine's Day. It will resume on Thursday. Kabaji! Clean this confetti up."  
  
"Uhs."


	35. Special of the Week (Fudomine)

Kamio pranced from foot to foot in the small candy shop. All the girls were looking at him weird. "I'm here for my mom," he told them, blushing through the lie. "She works so she wanted me to get something for my dad."  
  
"Do you need help?" a sales lady in a red apron asked. She had little heart clips in her hair, just like the ones An wore.  
  
"I…uh…don't know what to buy," he admitted. "My dad's…older and so I don't know what he'd like."  
  
The sales lady took Kamio's arm and he nearly jumped into a display of ribbon candy. "What does he like to do?"  
  
"He plays tennis. And he has, I mean we have a bulldog. And he likes to read about history and stuff." The arm the girl was hanging on was getting sweaty. Wasn't it wrong to be hanging onto customer's like that?   
  
"We have some large chocolate tennis balls we got in last week," she said. "They're very popular. I had three gentlemen purchase them yesterday alone." She winked at him.  
  
Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god. "Yeah, that sounds fine. For my dad."  
  
The sales lady smiled. "For your dad." She grabbed the tennis ball and rung it up, taking Kamio's money from his shaking hand. "I'm sure he'll love it," she said, smiling. "Tell him to come in for White Day!"  
  
On trembling legs, Kamio sprinted from the store, careful not to fall. If he crushed the chocolate tennis ball, he didn't think he'd have enough courage to get another.


	36. Get the Hint (GinKin)

"Those new shoes really look nice on you, Gin-san." Kintarou grinned up at his senpai. "Shiraishi-buchou said you saved up your allowance for them. That's cool."  
  
Gin shrugged and continued rotating his arms to loosen them up for working with the ball machine.   
  
"I was thinking of getting new shoes, too, you know. Mine kind of wear out fast." He held up his foot and shook it. "See, the soles are already wearing out. Guess it's cuz I run around so much, huh? That's what Osamu says."   
  
"That must be it, then." Gin turned on the ball machine and jogged into position. The first ball flew from the machine with a pop. He smacked it back with a level 1 Hadokyuu.   
  
"Tomorrow's Valentine's Day so all the girls in my class are looking at me weird. Do you think they'll try to give me candy?" Kintarou began picking up the balls that rolled back after they hit the wall.   
  
Gin hit a level 2. "Probably."  
  
Kintarou paused, stooped over a ball. "I don't want any of their candy. I mean, I like candy, but I don't want any from _them,_ you know?"  
  
Level 5. "No."  
  
Shoulders drooping, Kintarou dumped the balls he collected into a basket. "You're supposed to get candy from someone _special_ on Valentine's Day, right? I want that kind of candy."  
  
Level 20. "That makes sense."  
  
"Dammit idiot, buy the kid some chocolate! We can hear his whining all the way over in the weight room!"  
  
Kintarou turned toward the weight room, eyes narrowed. "Shiraishi-buchou! Kenya bought Zaizen-senpai a silver thong to wear during nationals! Don't you think that's a violation of the uniform code?"  
  
Level 58. "Kintarou."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
The machine ran out of balls and whirred to a stop. "Come over for dinner tomorrow. I'll help you look for new shoes."


	37. Adventures in Heterosexuality (Rikkai)

At the beginning of the school day, Jackal Kuwahara sat out in front of Rikkaidai Fuzoku with a burlap bag. As girls came in, they lined up to hand him small boxes wrapped in delicate laces and ribbons. For every box of chocolate he received, Jackal handed out a small envelope. He only made 365 envelopes, so many of the girls had been lined up since dawn, waiting for Jackal to arrive.  
  
"Here you go," he told a cute girl with cheeks flushed from the February cold. "I hope yours comes up soon."  
  
Giggling, the girl tore into her envelope. "February 25th!" she screamed, jumping up and down and waving her date assignment.   
  
Jackal leaned forward and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Good," he said, carefully guiding her to the side, away from the line, before taking the next box of chocolates. When his date coupons ran out, he'd start giving kisses. By the time school started, his lips would be dry and cracked but, with luck, some cute girl would give him an extra large box of chocolates and he would be able to reward her in 'special ways' during lunch.   
  
"I love you all!" he cried, throwing his arms wide, taking in the screams of the girls surrounding him. Yes, being the only heterosexual on the team was, indeed the good life. And, what was more, he could use all the chocolates to bribe Marui into doing his homework for the rest of the month, allowing him more date time. Valentine's Day was the best.


	38. The Right Technique (Rikkai)

"First, you put your hand on her knee and rub in little circles," Jackal whispered. He and Niou were in the clubhouse and could be easily overheard but there wasn't anywhere else safe to discuss this.  
  
"Does it have to be the knee?" Niou wondered, taking notes.  
  
Jackal nodded. "It's an erogenous zone. If you think she's a little loose, you can move up a few inches from the hem of her skirt, but most girls slap you if you go that far on the first try."  
  
"Stay on the knee," Niou mumbled. "What next?"  
  
Jackal looked at Niou. He would probably get smacked at just the knee but, on the off chance that he didn't, Jackal should prepare him. "Compliment her hair," he said. "Tell her how cute the cut is and how her barrettes sparkle, like her eyes in the sunset."  
  
"They buy this crap?"  
  
Jackal grinned, remembering his exploits of that morning. "Eat it up," he assured. "Just be sincere, they know when you're lying. When she leans forward to get your hand under her skirt, you know you've made it."  
  
"Awesome." Niou finished off his notes with a flourish and picked up a plastic bag.  
  
"What's in that."  
  
"It's, uh, my sister's school uniform. I'm asking the sewing club to fix it. My mom sucks at sewing. Yeah, that's it. Bye." Niou grabbed his notebook and ran for it.


	39. Fear Not (Tezufuji)

Tezuka spent the Valentine's Day of his third year in fear. It wasn't the hoards of girls stepping on one another to give him gifts, that was normal. No, what bothered him was the small, plainly wrapped box of chocolates Fuji handed to him at morning practice.   
  
Fuji never did anything that was nice and simple. Tezuka's birthday the previous year was host to an inflatable, vibrating elephant ride and a clown that couldn't juggle to save his ill-fitting foam nose. Tezuka suspected the clown was actually a homeless man that Fuji took pity on and dressed up for the occasion as an excuse to give the poor guy some money. The elephant, though, was punishment for not getting Fuji a suitably extravagant gift for White Day. Tezuka would do better this year.  
  
"Are you just going to look at them all day, Tezuka?" Fuji leaned on Tezuka's shoulder and looked down at the box. "They're going to melt if you hold them too long.  
  
"I'm treasuring them," Tezuka said. It took him all of the previous week to think of what to say to Fuji when the tensai asked why he wasn't touching his gift.  
  
"Why are you shaking?" Fuji tickled Tezuka's sides. "Are you scared, Tezuka? Of chocolates?"  
  
Don't laugh. Don't laugh. Don't laugh. "I'm not scared of chocolates." A hiccup of laughter escaped through Tezuka's nose.   
  
All movement in the hallway stopped before every female in the vicinity erupted in a cheer of, "KAWAII, TEZUKA-KUUUUUUN!!!!"   
  
Tezuka could hear Fuji's teeth grinding. Sucking in a breath and loosening his grip on the chocolates, he leaned over and whispered, "Thank you for the chocolates," before placing a light kiss on the tensai's cheek.  
  
The girls shut up.


	40. Competition (various)

****Yukimura looked down at the insolent pygmy challenging him to a game. " _This_ beat you, Genichirou?" He looked again at the kid.  
  
"I'll beat you, too," Echizen said, adjusting his cap. "Nobody beats me in tennis."  
  
"Oh, I won't beat you," Yukimura said, smiling. "I'll destroy you. Come call the game, Genichirou." Grabbing his racquet, Yukimura strolled toward the court. The brat was going to pay for interrupting his date with Sanada, the first he'd managed to snag since the summer started.  
  
"We should get something to eat after the game," Echizen told Sanada while the other boy climbed into the ref chair. "I saved up to treat you."  
  
Sanada's eyebrow twitched. "Game start!" he called, the force of his voice ruffling Echizen's hair.  
  
"Which?" Echizen grumbled, spinning his racquet.  
  
Yukimura grinned and Sanada flinched. "Seiichi," Genichirou warned, "don't get too sweaty. We're going to a movie after this."  
  
"Oh don't worry Genichirou. I'll be nice." He tossed a tennis ball to Echizen when the racquet landed smooth. "Let's see your little Twist Serve, hm?"  
  
After the first serve was in play, Sanada left the ref chair and went for his tennis bag. If he started now, he could have the first aid supplies ready in time.


	41. Stupid Games (Rikkai)

Kirihara wasn't sure how he managed to get Yanagi-senpai into the gaming center, but he was regretting his decision. How was he supposed to know that Marui and Jackal would be there? How was Kirihara, who'd only gone to the gaming center twice before, supposed to know about the virtual boxing game an Jackal's insistence that no one could beat him?   
  
"Give it up," Jackal snickered, jabbing Renji's virtual self in the chest, scoring another 350 points.  
  
"Everyone has a weakness. I'll find yours and defeat you by the end of the round." If Yanagi-senpai kept squinting at the screen, he was going to go blind and have to wear dorky megane like Yagyuu-senpai. Renji would look horrible in megane.  
  
"Kick his ass, Jackal!"  
  
Marui-senpai wasn't helping, either. He kept goading them on, waving his marshmallow bar in the air like a cheering fan. People were staring. "Hey, why aren't you cheering him on?" Marui handed Kirihara a box of fruit drops. "Just shake this."  
  
Kirihara opened the canister and took out a drop. "I'm not cheering because this is dumb," Kirihara grumbled. "Hurry up, senpai, or I'm going home!" He took out another drop and threw it at Renji's head. It missed, but hit the screen, throwing off Renji's focus and opening up to an uppercut to the jaw, losing him the game.  
  
"Akaya!" Yanagi screamed, throwing down his digital boxing glove.  
  
"Come on, senpai, I'm bored. We're leaving."  
  
Jackal leaned over and elbowed Renji in the side. "You gonna take that from him?"  
  
Kirihara tapped his foot. "Come _on_ , senpai."  
  
Renji cleared his throat. "It's…best to comply," he said, hustling to Kirihara's side. Together, they left the arcade while Jackal and Marui duked it out at Whack a Mole.


	42. We're Normal (Rikkai)

Renji understood he wasn't the most sensitive guy on the team but, next to Genichirou, he looked like a mountain of compassion and understanding. Kirihara didn't care, though, he was still pouting in the corner of the clubhouse, bouncing a tennis ball against the wall and grumbling 'stupid Yanagi-senpai' while the team snickered and shot Renji curious looks.  
  
"Akaya, I've apologized three times in the last five minutes," Renji sighed, moving toward Akaya's corner.   
  
Yukimura exited the showers, the towel that should have been around his waist clenched in his fist. "Genichirou, you ass. Fifty laps when you're done with your blasted shampoo." Seiichi stormed to Kirihara's corner and sat next to him. "You're better off without him," Yukimura said, sending Renji a slit-eyed glare. "He'll just ignore you and skip out on lunch dates so he can eat with his kendo friends."  
  
By now, Kirihara knew not to say anything when Yukimura was in a mood like this. Renji hoped Seiichi's little fit would pull Akaya out of his slump and they could reconcile their differences and get on to cuddling during English tutoring sessions.  
  
"At least he's not saying that other guys are cute," Kirihara snapped. The two turned the full force of their ire on Renji. Sanada was still in the shower room, his singing floated in the background, deep and flat. "Yanagi-senpai thinks that kid from Shitenhouji's cute."  
  
"Cute like a pet animal," Renji corrected, tired of explaining. "No one could be cuter than you, Akaya." If Kirihara weren't one of the most loving individuals Renji'd ever met, he would let the little ass wallow in his jealousy for a few days. Instead, he had to keep apologizing for an offhanded comment and embarrass himself with endearments in front of the entire team. He dreaded what would happen if he actually did something worthy of Kirihara's anger.  
  
"Yukimura, where did you put my pumice stone?" Sanada stood in the doorway, no towel, soap suds sliding down his chest.  
  
Seiichi shot up from the bench and threw his towel across the other boy. "Put some clothes on, Genichirou! And all of you! What are you staring at?" He shoved Sanada back into the shower room, their squabbling turning into babble amongst the one faucet still running.  
  
Kirihara snickered and turned to Renji. "They're crazy," he said. "I'm glad we're normal."  
  
Resisting the urge to smack his forehead against a locker, Renji nodded. "Aa, good thing."


	43. One Shot Wonder (Takafuji)

Kawamura Takashi was remarkable in that he wasn't anything special. On a team full of superstars, he was the so-so kid battling for every chance to play in the singles slot, often reconciled to doubles, usually stuck as the alternate. He was on the team, though, and there were plenty of kids who didn't make the cut. He knew most of them, had been one of them for two years while he honed his power game, but now that he was on the team there was an invisible barrier that kept his old friends at bay. Sometimes they waved to him at lunch, but that was all. He was a Regular now, a demigod of tennis. Even if he wanted to talk to them, they'd run for it before he could even get out a hello.  
  
Fuji walked up to Kawamura, expression oddly neutral. "How's your wrist, Taka-san?" Kawamura hated it when people called him Taka-san. The san felt cold, distant. He didn't want to be the old man of the group. He wanted to be equals. He was honest with himself, though, and knew that he could never be at Fuji Syuusuke's level.  
  
"It's getting better. It hurts if I try to lift too much, but the flexibility's back." He moved his wrist around to demonstrate. "I'll be fine by next week's matches, no problem." They were scrimmaging some low-level private school team so it was entirely possible that Kawamura would get a chance at singles. Tezuka wouldn't bother putting himself in to play and it was doubtful Echizen would even show up.   
  
"That's excellent." Fuji put a hand on Kawamura's arm. "Tezuka says he wants us to play doubles. He thinks we should work on our teamwork since it's likely we'll be playing together in the next official match."  
  
He couldn't help the way his shoulders shuddered and dropped at the news. Was it worth babying his wrist so much for a doubles match? Would it be better to sit this one out and focus on rehabilitation and honing his Hadokyuu for more power? Fuji's hand on his arm burned. "I'll look forward to it, then," he laughed, moving his arm from Fuji's touch, scratching at the back of his head while his cheeks burned with embarrassment and shame.   
  
If his doubles partner were anyone but Fuji, he would've said no, faked pain to get in some extra training time. At least on the doubles court, he could pretend he and Fuji were on the same level, working with all their strength for a common goal.   
  
"Wonderful. I'll let Tezuka know it's okay." Fuji fluttered his fingers as he ran toward the clubhouse. "See you tomorrow, Taka-san!"  
  
Kawamura flexed his wrist, expecting a sharp pain but only receiving a dull throb. He'd be fine to do a Hadokyuu in the scrimmage. Even if he weren't, he'd still do it. Even though his wrist flared in pain at the end of every power game, he would still play that shot. It was his, the only thing that was his.


	44. Bee Boutique (Rikkai)

"Why are we looking at all this lame stuff? Just get him a new phone strap or something." Being one of Yukimura's oldest friends, Marui had the honor of escorting Sanada around the shopping district the day before Seiichi's birthday. Marui didn’t buy Yukimura gifts because Yukimura was a bitch to shop for and never properly appreciated anything Marui thought to give him. Also, Marui's allowance was already half spent on a German chocolate cake.  
  
"It's going to be a gift from the team. It has to be perfect."  
  
How transparent could you get? Marui looked around the small boutique again. "He likes gardening, get him something for his garden, a new trowel or something." Marui didn't even know if you used trowels to garden or if those were just for backwoods campers who needed to dig a toilet. Gardening was for women and old men…and Yukimura, who looked like a woman and had the temperment of an old man. If Seiichi's mom didn't pack one hell of a bento, Marui probably wouldn't even be friends with the jerk.  
  
"Are you listening to me?" Sanada pounded his fist on Marui's shoulder then pointed to a display of garden signs. "Do you think the bees would be better or the gnome?" Sanada picked up a garden gnome in one hand and a small wooden sign in the other and shoved them toward Marui's face. The gnome had Kirihara's nose, Yanagi's eyes, Jackal's skin, and Niou's fashion sense.   
  
"Go with the bees. If Seiichi gets pissed and decides to throw it at you, the bees won't give you a concussion." He took the gnome from Sanada and put it back amongst a number of reflective globes. "The gnome'll probably come to life at night and slaughter everyone in the house."  
  
"That's ridiculous." Sanada sent another look to the gnome, shivered, and took the sign to the cashier. The sales clerk looked at the sign and laughed, even though she'd probably seen a thousand 'Bee Kind to the Flowers' signs in her time, which Marui judged to be around three hundred years.   
  
"Are we done here? There's a place down the street with an all you can eat buffet at half price from noon to one." Marui consulted his watch. "I've got twenty minutes."  
  
Sanada peeked into his shopping bag and grinned. "I'll buy since you helped me get Yukimura's gift."  
  
"I thought it was from the team."   
  
Sanada's one redeeming quality was that he didn't make excuses or get flustered when caught being a sentimental idiot. "The team wasn't here to pick it out. They lose their right to ownership."  
  
Marui elbowed him in the arm. "I'm here."  
  
"And I'm buying you lunch."  
  
"Yeah, at half price. Cheapass." Marui hurried, though, because he never turned down free food, especially lots of free food. Maybe he'd go back later that afternoon and pick up the garden gnome. He could sneak it into Seiichi's garden and see how long it took for Yukimura to stop smiling at his ugly bee sign long enough to notice the killer resin figure among the flowers.


	45. Sweeping (Sanayuki)

Yukimura didn't understand what he could be doing wrong. He arrived to morning practice on time, left afternoon practice late, and always had an empty seat next to him at lunch. Still, Sanada didn't speak to him more than club etiquette required, just a few greetings and politely asking for tennis balls or a towel. True, they were first years and had only been on the team for a month, but they were regulars and two of the top three players on the team. Surely that was grounds for friendship or, failing that, some civil conversation.   
  
"There must be something wrong with him," Yukimura confided to Renji after Thursday's practice. They were both breathing hard from laps and Yukimura's right ankle was sprained from a split step gone wrong, but Yanagi was in a good mood and sought Yukimura out for a chat while they struck the nets and swept the courts. Despite being regulars, they still had to perform first year duties, if only to quiet the whining of the low-skill players who complained every time the Three Demons received preferential treatment.  
  
Renji paused in his sweeping and looked across the grounds where Sanada was counting balls and arranging them into a basket. "He's not so bad once you get to know him. He's pretty shy."  
  
A guy that big had no right to be shy. Only small, scrawny guys were supposed to be shy; it was a survival technique. Yukimura told Renji so and the other boy smiled and shook his head before continuing with his sweeping. "I'm going over there," Yukimura decided, taking his broom and sweeping a diagonal across the court until he came to Sanada. "Today was a tough practice," he said, leaning over Sanada's back.   
  
Sanada shrugged and moved his basket out of Yukimura's shadow.   
  
"I thought that defensive skill you showed buchou was very good." Yukimura didn't say that he thought Sanada was going easy on the captain; there were other first years around and they'd grab any chance they could to further shun one of the Three.   
  
Sanada's hand hovered above the last ball that sat in the corral of his folded legs, waiting to be counted. "It was okay," he said. Yukimura saw his neck and ears start to pink. Sanada-kun probably wasn't used to praise.  
  
"I'm Yukimura Seiichi." Yukimura moved around to crouch next to Sanada's basket. "Let's be friends, okay Sanada-kun?"  
  
The final ball found its way into the basket. "Sixty-four," Sanada said. "Remember that number." He stood, picking up his basket as he rose. "I have to turn these in. Coming?"   
  
Broom tilted over his shoulder, Yukimura followed. "Sixty-four. Got it."


	46. Two Minute Effort (Seigaku)

The chief excitement in Echizen's day stemmed from the two minutes buchou stared at him before assigning laps. For that two minutes, Echizen was Tezuka's everything. The rest of the day, Echizen was just some punk first year who could play a mean game of tennis and was, occasionally, useful to the team. The rest of the day, Tezuka watched other people or did his homework or spaced out, looking at a wall.  
  
If Echizen didn't take advantage of his two minutes, he felt like a failure at the end of the day. "Hey buchou, let's play after school."   
  
Tezuka looked down at him, lip slipping up and down between annoyance and disgust. "No," he said before turning to watch Horio's racquet fly from his hand during swing practice.   
  
"Why not."  
  
Without looking back to Ryoma, Tezuka shrugged. "You're small," he said. "And not very good. Keep practicing."  
  
Ryoma felt a little sick to his stomach but he didn't let that keep him from asking, "If I win at nationals, will you play a game with me?"  
  
"No. Inui needs to take some statistics for you. Get going." With his arms crossed over his chest, Tezuka looked really imposing.  
  
Echizen trudged over to Inui and his measuring tape, kicking a rock to distract himself from disappointment. Tomorrow, for sure, he'd get that game.


	47. Yuuta (St. Rudolph)

It was hard to stand on a tennis court with your team and know you were going to lose. Badly. It took courage to shake the other captain's hand and not just bow down and beg for mercy. Mizuki-san was much better at handling the pressure but, then again, Mizuki-san actually thought they stood a chance.  
  
Even though their team was diminished from last year, Seigaku looked strong. Their captain, Kaidoh, could probably pop Yuuta's head with his thigh. "Let's have a good game," Kaidoh said, crushing Yuuta's hand in his. "And hurry up."  
  
Yuuta walked back to his team. They all looked fresh and happy and optimistic. It was the first game of the season and a bright new start for St. Rudolph. "Show them what we're made of," he told them, earning cheers and pats on the back and rackets waved in the air. He turned to Seigaku's bench, ignoring the sick feeling that whipped through his stomach and settled in his feet, like lead. Today, he'd be like Mizuki, just a little, because maybe Mizuki's way was the only way for this to still be fun.


	48. Infantile (Seigaku)

Nanjiroh was used to it now, the crying at obscene hours of the day and the ever-present scent of vomit that wafted through Ryoma's bedroom door. He bought a rattle for the little thing, a racquet handle with a tennis ball on top, and Rinko bought some clothing, respectable cotton onesies and slightly less dignified blue jumpsuits with matching hats and booties. She even tailored it for their grandson's situation, which Nanjiroh thought should've been Ryoma's responsibility, since the little guy was his spawn.   
  
Looking into the gift bag he held in his sweaty hands – this would only be his fifth time seeing the little one in the last three weeks of his life – Nanjiroh wondered if the Doraemon pajamas were a good choice. Maybe the Gekiranger would've been better, considering the situation.  
  
"What do want old man?" In the room, Ryoma held his son against his chest, rocking the child gently. "He just fell asleep."  
  
Nanjiroh scratched at his head and held out the bag. "I brought this," he said, shaking the bag. "And I can watch him during the day while you're at school. Rinko said you had to go back on Monday or she'd come talk to you."  
  
Ryoma winced; nobody wanted Echizen Rinko to leave her office during a big case. Tsunami had less force than Rinko when she was upset. "Fine," Ryoma grumbled. "Practice holding him." He jostled the infant and handed him to his father.  
  
The bundle was lighter than Nanjiroh expected and, looking at the baby now, it was a lot cuter than when Ryoma first brought him home from the hospital, a bundle of ugly, splotchy red skin and crying, so much crying. "Hey there kiddo," Nanjiroh whispered, scratching at the baby's head, just behind his ear. The baby mewled in his sleep and his ears twitched.  
  
This wasn't so hard after all.  
  
"Watch his tail, old man. You're going to crush it." Ryoma reached forward, unhooking a fluffy tail from around Nanjiroh's wrist. "And don't make his milk too hot or he'll burn his mouth. And change his diaper or he'll start biting." The little punk pushed a bottle into Nanjiroh's hands. "I'm going to practice so Momo-senpai doesn't say that having a baby ruined my tennis. Remember to feed him in an hour."  
  
The baby gurbled, squirmed in Nanjiroh's arms, then continued to sleep. Sighing, the proud but still very confused grandfather took his grandson with him downstairs. It was almost time to ring the bell.


	49. Defective Dolls (KinderHyoutei)

Choutarou reached under his bed – his arms were still short and his fingers not very strong, but he managed to get the special box after three attempts and a scrape on his shoulder – and held out a shoe box to his new best friend, Hiyoshi Wakashi.  
  
"What's that?" Hiyoshi-kun wasn't very impressed with Choutarou's room so far; there were no action figures on the shelves, just shells from family beach trips and some picture books. Hiyoshi thought every eight year old boy had at least one or two plastic soldiers in his room.  
  
"They're dolls. I took them from my cousin." Choutarou opened the box's lid and showed Hiyoshi two Barbie dolls and one Ken. "Let's play!" Pride flushing through his puffy cheeks, Choutarou plopped down on the floor, waiting for Hiyoshi to join him. "You can be Ken."  
  
"Duh. I'm not a girl so of course I'm gonna be Ken." Hiyoshi examined Ken's lame Hawaiian shirt and surf shorts.   
  
"Let's go on a date, Ken!" Barbie 1 said as Choutarou waved her from side to side like a fleshy plastic metronome. "Let's go to the beach!"  
  
Barbie 2 kicked Barbie 1 in the head. "He's mine!"  
  
Ken walked off to the Corvette and kicked the tires. "It's low," he said. "I'll fix it while you girls sort things out." Hiyoshi turned over the Corvette and boredly spun the wheels while Barbie 1 made a comeback, tearing out half the hair on Barbie 2's head.  
  
"Let's go, Ken!" Barbie 1 said. Her skirt was half off and, as she bounced to the upturned Corvette, it fell the rest of the way. "Oops! How did that happen?"  
  
Hiyoshi turned the Corvette back over and grinned. "Don't worry, I like you better this way." In as best a strut as his T-crotch legs would allow, Ken made his way to the Corvette and stripped.   
  
"Huh?" Choutarou snagged the Ken and stared at it. "He's…wrong."  
  
Hiyoshi stole the doll back, looked at it, then threw it away. "He was probably gay anyway. Let's go play some video games."


	50. What Friends are For (Hyoutei)

Mukahi stared at his math notebook and grimaced. "I think Yuushi likes you," he told Jirou.   
  
"Huh?" Jirou blinked out of his lunchtime half-nap and stretched. "I thought he liked girls." Yawning again, Jirou moved closer to his friend and rested his head in Gakuto's lap, neck cradled over folded ankles.   
  
"No girl would ever date Yuushi unless she was a lesbian in denial." Gakuto knew all about girls because he'd dated nearly every girl on campus for at least a week, even the freshmen girls who still thought boys were a bit gross. Mukahi found that being short and cute helped him snag chicks faster than the large, imposing guys and, being on the tennis team, he was immune from the imposing guys' retribution.   
  
Jirou stared up at the underside of Gakuto's chin. "What do you want me to do about it?" Gakuto never mentioned relationship things unless he was planning something. Generally, the plans revolved around hooking Yuushi up with someone or another so he would stop moping around and focus on tennis. Gakuto said being Yuushi's doubles partner was a lot like taking care of a kid brother who thought putting gum in a girl's hair and running away was a suitable flirtation tactic.  
  
"Just letting you know in case you want to go for him or something." Mukahi shrugged and looked back to his math text. "You do your history homework?"  
  
"I printed out an extra copy for you," Jirou said, reaching a hand out and flailing for his backpack. "I changed some stuff so it sounds more like you."  
  
"Good. You still owe me for that English essay." Gakuto smacked Jirou on the head with his book. "I can't believe the crap essay I wrote for you scored better than my real essay. You flirting with the teacher or something?"  
  
Jirou flicked Gakuto's chin. "I'm cuter; no one wants to fail a cute boy."  
  
Dumping Jirou off his lap, Gakuto stood. "See if I help you out again, asshole." Despite the pout, he helped Jirou up off the ground. "Yuushi's in the library; you should help him with his homework and grope him or something. He'd probably be easier to play with if he got laid."  
  
Jirou looked at a shady spot under a tree, perfect for napping, then back to his friend. "I _do_ owe you, I guess." Hoisting up his backpack, he made for the library, ready to do his duty.


	51. The Last Box (Hyoutei)

  
"Why don't you buy the Petite Pleasures? They're more your type, right?" Shishido tugged at the last box of Maximum Extended Ribbed Good Times: For Him condoms in the greater Tokyo area.  
  
"Because I _need_ these and you're just going to hoard them until Ohtori gets back from vacation with his family." Gakuto reached for the Extra Large Man box. "Here. He's a tall guy; he probably needs these instead."  
  
"They're not for Choutarou!"   
  
"I'd believe you if you weren't blushing." Gakuto tugged a little harder and won possession of the box. "We all know you're whipped; be graceful about it. You don't hear Yuushi whining like a girl and denying things."  
  
"Choutarou does not whip me!"  
  
An elderly lady looking at pain relievers gave them the evil eye. Shishido bowed and ducked behind the bread stand while Gakuto made a beeline for the checkout.


	52. Tooth Decay (Sanayuki)

Though Sanada enjoyed not being yelled at every five minutes to get a bag or order laps, the pointing and the pouting was getting on his nerves. Even with a cavity the size of Mt. Fuji, Yukimura still insisted that Sanada obey his every command.  
  
Sanada drew the line at testing every piece of Yukimura's lunch for sweetness value while the entire team watched and laughed.  
  
"It's fine, Genichirou. The pain is already dulling." Yukimura tried to pull his hand out of Sanada's grip. "We should be at practice."  
  
"We're going to the dentist," Sanada insisted, dragging Yukimura up to a silver building with a giant, smiling tooth statue in front of it. The tooth gave Sanada the creeps, but they pressed on in the name of getting Seiichi back to normal.  
  
Yukimura stepped on Sanada's foot. "Practice is more important than dental matters, Sanada. Now come." He winced when the wind hit his sensitive tooth.  
  
"Seiichi!" Yukimura's mother ran up, waving. "Sanada-kun told me about your tooth, dear. Let's get you taken care of." She patted Seiichi's head while he tried to vivisect Sanada with a glare.  
  
"I'll start my laps now," Sanada said, bowing to Seiichi and his mother. "See you at school tomorrow."  
  
Yukimura glared again. "I'll come get you when I'm done here," he said, words garbled as he tried cover his tooth with his tongue. "Until then, keep running."


	53. Rules of Adoration (Hyoutei)

Gakuto didn't want to say anything against his best friend, but Jirou had issues – big issues.  
  
"And I went to the doughnut shop he likes and tried the raspberry filled doughnut he likes and it was sooooo good." Jirou patted his stomach and rolled around on the grass, clutching a business card. "The shop lady says he comes every other Thursday morning. Think I could get Atobe to drive me there?"  
  
"Atobe wouldn't be caught dead in Kanagawa, and you'll be late for school." Gakuto didn't understand what was so great about Marui Bunta but, since freshman year, all Jirou ever wanted to talk about was the bastard Rikkai player who ignored him whenever Jirou went to watch Rikkai practice.   
  
"But he'll be there! And we can talk!" Jirou's eyes hazed over and he began chuckling to himself.  
  
In reality, Jirou never said anything other than Sugoi! when in Marui's presence, which was probably why Marui didn't pay Jirou much attention; he probably thought Jirou was a spazz case - not that he was wrong.  
  
"We're gonna share a doughnut and I'll walk him to school," Jirou decided, still in his dream world. "Then he'll invite me to watch him practice and he'll do a Tsunawatari, just for me, and then we'll go to his house and –"  
  
Gakuto slapped a hand over Jirou's mouth before he had to be subject to Jirou's Marui fantasies. He heard enough weird stuff from Oshitari, he didn't need Jirou adding to his daily trauma. "If you're gonna go, then check the bus schedule or something. And write out something to say so you don't make an ass of yourself."  
  
Jirou mumbled into Gakuto's palm until it was removed. "What should I say? What sounds cool? I have to sound cool or he'll think I'm weird! I'm not weird, I'm his biggest fan and I'd make the perfect boyfriend and I look good, don't I?" Jirou smoothed out his hair. "We're perfect for each other."  
  
"Tell him that," Gakuto sighed, realizing that Jirou was doomed, no matter what he did. "At least it's honest."  
  
Jirou beamed and jump-hugged his friend. "Take notes for me tomorrow morning, okay?" He jumped up, grabbing his backpack. "I'm gonna go find something to wear! Tell Atobe I'll be at practice on Saturday if I'm not out with Marui-sama!"  
  
Gakuto fell back onto the grass to enjoy the last ten minutes of lunch. Saturday, Jirou would arrive at practice disheartened but still determined, Atobe would be pissy and give a speech about responsibility that Jirou would sleep through, and Oshitari would offer to show Jirou how to 'make his move,' at which point Gakuto would knee Yuushi in the groin and break up with him for the day. Ah, what a lovely, normal life.


	54. Breakfast (MaruJi)

Jirou arrived at the doughnut shop an hour before it opened, just in case Marui was waiting outside. The shopkeeper recognized him and invited him in while she prepared the morning displays. They chatted about Marui and his favorite doughnuts, and Jirou bought a box for Marui's breakfast.  
  
"Good morning!" Marui sang when he entered the shop, half an hour after opening.  
  
Jirou stumbled to his feet and pushed the box of doughnuts at Marui's chest. "Akutagawa Jirou! I'm Akutagawa Jirou!" He was really proud that he could remember his name while basking in the crinkly shirted presence of Marui-sama.  
  
"Yeah, I know. Your volleys aren't too bad. We played a game first year, right?" Marui took the box and looked inside. "Raspberry filled, awesome!" He stuffed the doughnut, whole, into his mouth and gave Jirou a thumbs up. Marui-sama didn't speak with his mouth full like Shishido or the other members of the Hyoutei team.   
  
"I've been working hard to try to reach your level," Jirou said, pulling out a chair for Marui, brushing dust off it with his handkerchief before motioning for the other boy to sit.  
  
Marui laughed around his second doughnut before gulping it down. "Don't get your hopes up; nobody's at _my_ level." He held the box out to Jirou. "Want one?"  
  
Jirou's hand shook as he removed a sugar sprinkled, glazed doughnut. He held it reverently in front of him, forgetting that he bought the food in the first place and that, really, Marui was just being nice and letting him have some of the breakfast he purchased.   
  
"Why aren't you eating it? Not hungry?" Marui waved his hand in front of Jirou's face. "You okay?"  
  
Jirou took a rushed bite. "Fine! I'm fine! Your biggest fan! Love!"  
  
"I gotta get to practice. See ya 'round." Marui winked, grabbed the doughnut box, and left.  
  
Jirou stared at the half-eaten doughnut in his hand. If he froze the rest, it'd probably last a while; he could pretend to have breakfast with Marui-sama before his history exam next week. Surely that would give him luck that studying couldn't provide. Wrapping the doughnut in his handkerchief for the ride home, he waved at the shopkeeper. "See you in two weeks!"


	55. Routine Molestation (Rikkai)

Jackal was surprised the morality committee didn't crack down on the tennis team and have Yukimura expelled for indecency. When he wasn't busy giving Sanada orders, Yukimura was busy feeling up his fukubuchou in front of the team. At the beginning of the season, the first years were all red-faced and stared at the ground whenever Yukimura approached them. Now, they could watch Yukimura's hand dip down the back of Sanada's too-tight shorts and not bat an eye.   
  
"You should do something," he told Sanada as they packed up the nets. "You have the right to say no."  
  
Sanada adjusted his cap as if to say no, he really didn't have a say, but Jackal was very kind to be thinking of his well being.   
  
"Does he do that to you all the time?" Jackal wondered aloud. "You went on vacation this spring, but that was only two weeks, so he shouldn't be that bad off, right?" Watching Sanada blush was kind of fun; maybe that was why Yukimura insisted that Sanada always be at his side, often grabbing the side of Sanada's jacket, just so he didn't wander off too far.  
  
"Sanada! Stop slacking off and get over here!" Yukimura held out a ring of keys. "The storage shed needs cleaning."  
  
Sanada sighed, his shoulders dropping. "Lock up the clubhouse," he said. "We'll be a while."


	56. Dojo (Sanayuki)

Sanada loved the peace of the dojo, the serene silence washed over him and cleansed him of a hectic day of tennis. He could practice katas for hours, delighting as his blade sliced through the air or a practice dummy.   
  
"Your mother let me in," Yukimura said, sitting down to take off his shoes. "Hope you don't mind."   
  
If Sanada minded, there wasn't particularly anything he could say, not to Yukimura; he would just have to do his best to focus on his training. "I'm almost done," he said, resuming Fire stance.   
  
"Take your time." Seiichi settled down on his stomach and propped his head up on his hands. "I love watching you."  
  
Sanada knew _exactly_ how much Yukimura enjoyed watching him and wished that, just this time, Seiichi would show some discretion – and be silent.  
  
"Tell me, Genichirou, are you wearing anything under that?" Yukimura pointed at Sanada's cleanly pressed ensemble. "The fabric must feel wonderful against bare skin." He started to rise but stopped when Sanada cleared his throat and stepped further away.  
  
"It's a stiff cloth, not very comfortable." Any moment, Sanada's mother was going to come in and kill him. If she didn't kill him because he was secretly having relations with another boy, she would kill him for desecrating the sacred space of the dojo with flirting. Or, in Yukimura's case, foreplay.  
  
"Let me feel it." How Yukimura could move so fast on his hands and knees Sanada would never know, but Yukimura was at Sanada's feet in a flash, a hand reaching up the inner leg of the hakama, fingers sliding across the fabric while his knuckles kneaded into Sanada's calf. "It feels good to me," he said, moving his hand up higher.  
  
Sanada wondered what he was going to do with his sword if Yukimura's hand got any higher. He couldn't push Seiichi away and he couldn't disgrace the sword his father gave him for his nationals win last year by setting it on the ground.  
  
"Having a problem, Sanada?" Yukimura's nose wrinkled as he smiled and used his unquesting hand to begin untying the intricate knot that kept Sanada's clothes on.   
  
"I can't let the sword touch the ground," he said, biting his lip as cold air rushed up his yukata.  
  
Yukimura tossed the discarded hakama across the room. "Oh, is that all?" Fingers found their way under the yukata and onto Sanada's hip while Seiichi's forehead rested against Sanada's thigh. "I'm sure we'll manage to keep it up."  
  
Luckily, with his face next to Sanada's groin, Yukimura couldn't see Sanada roll his eyes, first in exasperation, then in bliss.  
  
The sword clattered to the ground.


	57. The Pen is Mighty (Rikkai)

Renji was a curious individual, yes, but he never felt that he invaded anyone's privacy, not until he happened upon the small notebook Sanada used to practice his calligraphy Thursdays after tennis. Sanada's characters were lovely, bold but delicate, certain but still whimsical. Anyone who saw his writing would think the characters were done by a woman.  
  
Delighted that he could observe Genichirou's works in quiet, without Sanada grumbling about 'works in progress' or Yukimura shoving to get a look, Renji opened the notebook.  
  
 _Naked Seiichi_  
On a moonlit tennis court  
My young life is bliss  
  
Renji closed the notebook. He'd give it to Yukimura, perhaps he would appreciate Sanada's new linguistic interests. In the meanwhile, Renji was going to scrub his eyes with a brillo pad.


	58. For Purposes of the Budget (YanaBun)

Renji looked at the club budget and its 30,000 yen allotment for cakes. "This is ridiculous," he told Sanada. "We could be getting new nets. I'm going to speak with him."   
  
Sanada nodded and continued stretching. "Don't be late for our visit to Yukimura."  
  
Yanagi found Marui jogging in place on the court. "I need to speak with you about your cake habits." Renji turned his clipboard around and showed Marui the budget plan. "Your cakes are too expensive."  
  
"But I _need_ them," Marui whined, grabbing hold of Renji's arm. "My stamina's no good and I have to have the sugar to keep me going."  
  
Renji had theories about Marui's stamina. His current theory was that Marui was full of crap and lying to get free cake. He needed evidence, though, or no one would believe him. "Please accompany me to the locker room. I have some information I need from you."  
  
Marui grinned and followed. "I've got this new cake I want to try for practice today. It's got green tea frosting."  
  
Ignoring the way Marui licked his lips, Renji lead them into the lockeroom and locked the door. Before Marui could blink, Renji had him pressed against the wall, panting. "The first run through is without the cake," he said. "I'll evaluate your stamina with it tomorrow."


	59. Sold Out (Rikkai)

"You have no idea what you're doing, do you?" Marui stared at Jackal through a tangle of tennis netting. "You said I could trust you, that you read books and saw it in a movie. You _lied_ to me!"  
  
Jackal scratched at his head; hair was starting to poke through and drive him crazy. "The magazine said it was good for agility training. Maybe I missed something." He gave one last tug on the net and gave up. "I'll go get some scissors or something.  
  
As his doubles partner rounded out of view, Marui thought he heard voices whispering and some coins dropping on the ground. Moments later, Marui heard tennis shoes slapping against the ground in a cheerful skip. He looked up into wide, excited eyes.  
  
"Hello!" some curly haired kid said, dropping down to straddle over Marui's tethered and squirming form. "I'm Akutagawa Jirou from Hyoutei! I think your tennis is the best thing in the world." Jirou paused in his adoration, his eyes narrowing. "Kuwahara-kun said I should keep you company while he gets some scissors." He reached forward and poked a finger into the net, stroking an exposed portion of Marui's stomach. "I've waited forever for this day."   
  
Then the kid dropped and was asleep and drooling all over the net.


	60. Learning Curve (YanaKiriMaru)

Yanagi-senpai wasn't sharing and that wasn't fair. Kirihara deserved special time, too, since he was good and did his homework before coming over to Marui-senpai's place.  
  
"I'm testing the technique out, Akaya," Renji said after Kirihara's third tug at his sleeve. "Once it's perfect, we can all try."  
  
That was Yanagi-senpai's way of saying that Bunta did something to him during school and this was payback. The only problem was that Marui-senpai was never repentant and, when Renji left him half sated and mewling, Kirihara couldn't help but jump in to finish things because, really, you shouldn't be that mean, even if Bunta usually deserved it.  
  
"Aww, he's pouting." Marui kicked Renji off and folded Kirihara in a naked hug. Kirihara really liked Marui-senpai's naked hugs. Well, any naked hugs were good hugs – unless it was fukubuchou or something; that would be gross.  
  
Akaya took the opportunity to try out Yanagi-senpai's tongue technique while Marui yipped and squirmed like a puppy. Normally Kirihara hated dogs, but his Bunta Puppy – he'd never actually call him that aloud, though, because Marui-senpai would hit him – was lots of fun, even if he refused to try the leash Kirihara bought him for his birthday.   
  
Kirihara turned at the tap on his shoulder. Apparently Yanagi-senpai didn't like waiting, either. "Too many clothes," Renji said, clucking his tongue. "You'll ruin your uniform." And then Kirihara was the lucky recipient of the tongue thing and he found, to his annoyance, that he'd been doing it wrong and he had to start all over.


	61. Rikkaidoh (Rikkai)

The yellow looked really bad against his skin tone, and the shorts were even shorter than the ones Inui-senpai gave him last year, the ones that were supposed to be less restrictive when he did his Boomerang Snake but were only less restrictive because Kaidoh was almost naked when he wore them.  
  
"You got a problem? Something you want to tell your buchou?" Kirihara Akaya's chest puffed out every time he called himself buchou. It was annoying.  
  
Kaidoh was only going to this stupid school because Inui convinced Kaidoh's mom that it would be a 'growing experience' for him. Really, Inui just wanted the data and to get Kaidoh away from Momo. "I'm fine," Kaidoh told Kirihara while trying to adjust his shorts – they fit really tight in the crotch for some reason.  
  
Kirihara clapped him on the shoulder. "You just got here, Kaidoh-kun, but you're going to be my fukubuchou."  
  
He didn't like the way Kirihara said fukubuchou, all wistful and full of longing. Still, Kaidoh Kaoru wasn't stupid. "Do I get Singles 2?"  
  
Kirihara patted his bottom. "Of course, Kaidoh-kun. Now go tell the freshmen to run some laps. And yell. Really loud."  
  
Kaidoh nodded and began walking away. Kirihara grabbed onto his arm and pulled him back.  
  
"And say Tarundoru."


	62. Close Shave (Rikkai)

"You're not allowed to have razors. Step back." Marui grabbed Kirihara by the hips and hauled him away from Jackal's head.  
  
"Guys, I just need the back shaved. It's no big deal." All Jackal wanted was a quick shave so he could play tennis without looking like a Chia Pet.   
  
Marui rubbed Jackal's head while using his foot to keep Akaya back. "What if he cut you? It'd be all itchy and gross looking. I can't play doubles with something that's gross looking."  
  
"So glad you're in this for my personality." Jackal slumped down in his folding chair. "I'll just wear Sanada's hat for practice, how's that?"  
  
There was a cough and the sound of Marui and Kirihara toppling to the ground. "I'll take care of it," Renji said, slapping soap onto Jackal's head. "Genichirou would be difficult if his hat went missing."  
  
Kirihara and Marui took that as their cue to run for it and steal Sanada's hat while he was in the back office with Yukimura.


	63. Hidden (Rikkai)

Sanada wasn't insecure, he was just lazy. If he didn't have his hat, he had to comb out his hair and put product in it so it didn't fly out in a fit of static. Furthermore, in the safety of the clubhouse, there were rules. The first rule was that touching Sanada's hat was forbidden and punishable by laps, possibly laps with weights or, in Marui's case, the last melon bread on campus dangled in front of you on a fishing line while Renji cycled behind you.  
  
"I didn't do it," Niou said because he was always the first suspect.  
  
"I can vouch that Niou-kun was occupied at the time your hat disappeared." Yagyuu smoothed down his hair and fixed his tie. "We were taking inventory of tennis balls for Yanagi-kun."  
  
"Marui-senpai did it," Kirihara piped up, not wanting fukubuchou to hit him again which, judging from the way the muscles in Sanada's arms were coiling, was exactly what Sanada was contemplating.  
  
"You stole it and I hid it," Marui corrected. He popped a bubble right in Sanada's face, defiant. "You wanna find it again, you'll have to enter into negotiations."  
  
Sanada lifted Marui up off the ground by his shirt. "Jackal," he said over his shoulder. "If you want to keep your doubles partner, I suggest getting Kirihara to show you where my hat is."  
  
Jackal contemplated the offer and rubbed at his newly shorn head. "You know," he said, "I've been thinking about trying singles."


	64. Puppetmaster (ChitoKura)

A week before the nationals was no time for sock puppets.  
  
"What's the matter Chitose-kun? You can tell Robby Rabbi!"   
  
Chitose glared at the pink felt and wondered if his teeth could get through the fabric and into the puppeteer's skin. He ran his tongue over his teeth, testing their sharpness. Probably not. There were also the bandages to get through, and Chitose doubted he could manage it.  
  
"Do you want some Rabbi Rabu Rabu?" The puppet flew toward Chitose's face and he ducked.   
  
Shiraishi's shoulder gave a loud pop. "Dammit, I think I threw it out. Help me pop it back?"  
  
Chitose held out his hand. "First, give me the puppet."  
  
The fool actually had to think before he gave up the bunny. "Be gentle," he said, moving toward Chitose. "Guess I'll have to wrap higher this week so I don't screw it up, huh?"  
  
Unable to resist, Chitose slipped on the puppet. "Don't worry Shiraishi-kun, Super Maid Robby Rabbi will nurse you back to health!"  
  
"You're getting the voice wrong. It's higher than that."  
  
Without warning, Chitose popped Shiraishi's shoulder back into place and tossed the rabbit in the trash. "I'm going home. Tell Osamu I had a traumatic experience with a rabbit and need to recover."


	65. Walking the Street (SenBe)

Atobe liked logical things. He particularly liked logical, pretty things, which was why his current choice for a companion was leaving him rather confused.  
  
"And we can get these really good fried things on a stick," Sengoku said, tugging at Atobe's arm. "Hurry up!"  
  
Atobe was particularly confused as to why he was wearing a woman's kimono and geta while Sengoku was in an awful pink and navy pinstripe suit. "Slow down you fool. I twisted my ankle walking in these damn shoes."  
  
A salaryman turned from discussion with friends to leer at the bow resting over Atobe's backside. Atobe gave him the finger.   
  
Sengoku looked to the salarymen then back to Atobe. "Guess there's only one solution," he laughed, lifting Atobe up and carrying him.  
  
Atobe would have complained but his feet _were_ killing him and, beside that, Sengoku smiled nice, even if he did look like a yakuza reject.


	66. Distinct Persons (Rikkai)

Niou and Yagyuu were not, even in cosplay, exactly the same. There were subtle differences, enough for anyone who looked to know immediately with whom they were dealing.  
  
For example, Niou bit his nails, but only his pointer finger and pinky. He claimed that it was to help his grip, but Yagyuu knew – and would tell anyone were they to ask – that it was a nervous habit stemming back to the day Niou-kun lost his favorite Doraemon plushie in the first grade.  
  
Yagyuu painted his toenails. It wasn't an 'I'm queer' thing so much as a 'oh my god, I have horrible nail fungus' thing. He never used colors, just the pale pink his mother used for her French manicures.  
  
"Niou-senpai, can you help me with something?" Kirihara tugged on Niou-but-really-Yagyuu's sleeve.  
  
"What makes you think I can help you, kid?" Faux Niou sneered down at Kirihara before ruffling his hair.  
  
Kirihara huffed. "Yagyuu-senpaiiiii, Niou-senpai said I was supposed to call you by your cosplay names when you guys were being weird. I need help with my English and you're the only one who can do it." He kicked the ground and pouted. "If you help me, I won't tell Niou-senpai that you're wearing his underwear, too."  
  
Yagyuu pulled a pair of glasses from his pocket and glared at Kirihara. "Ten minutes, that's all you get."


	67. Awakening (Atoji)

If Shishido didn't stop making whipping sounds, Atobe was going to send Kabaji after him.  
  
"What's going on?" Jirou turned in Atobe's lap to face upward. "Why's everyone being so noisy?" To emphasize the fact that he'd been awoken from a nice nap, Jirou yawned and smacked his lips.   
  
"Nothing for you to worry about," Atobe assured, daring Shishido to say anything with a glare that promised, if not death, then significant maiming in places that would make Ohtori weep for loss.  
  
"Hey Jirou," Shishido said, ignoring Atobe and common sense, "how good is Atobe, really?"  
  
Jirou clawed at Atobe's lap like an overgrown cat. "He's cozy," Jirou said, snuggling in. "And tasty. Why? Wanna share?" Jirou watched Shishido out of one half-open eye. "I don't really want to try Ohtori, though. I hear you couldn't walk after your first date. That true?"  
  
"Shh, Jirou. Nap time." Atobe curled his fingers through Jirou's hair and smirked at Shishido in victory. _I told you not to go there_ , the look said. The laugh as Shishido scuttled out of the clubhouse was purely unintentional.  
  
"Hey Atobe, stop moving. I'm trying to sleep."


	68. Men of Height (Gin/Kenya)

Gin never failed to feel uncomfortable when Kenya's cousin visited. True, he could've refused Kenya's invitations to dinner with the Oshitari family, but that would be rude. Ishida Gin was never rude.  
  
"I notice Kenya's been much more content lately." Oshitari Yuushi nibbled on a bit of chicken and hummed as he swallowed. "I wonder why that is."  
  
The only reason Gin knew Kenya kicked Yuushi under the table was because elbow room was nonexistent at the table full of smiling, drawling, sometimes cursing Oshitaris.  
  
"Shut your fucking mouth before I ram a daikon into it, idiot." Kenya reached for the daikon that sat in the center of the table in a decorative basket.  
  
"Is that how you practice?" Yuushi asked, kicking back. Kenya had to clutch Gin's thigh so he wouldn't fall into his aunt's miso. "Ishida-san _is_ very tall."  
  
Why did everyone assume that, just because he was tall, he was large in other areas as well? He _was_ , but the assumption was very rude, and it made Kenya feel insignificant.  
  
"Would someone please pass the pickled ginger?" Gin asked, taking the opportunity to elbow Kenya lightly in the side.   
  
Yuushi's mother passed the ginger and gave Gin a pat on his thigh. "Let them have their fun, dear. Yuushi's just jealous because he was dumped before we came over, weren't you dear?" She reached over the table and flicked Yuushi's nose.  
  
"Mother, please do not mention my personal life in front of-"  
  
"Ooooh, the shrimp dumped you, huh?" Kenya brandished the daikon. "Well hands off my property, got it?"  
  
Gin chose to ignore them and pay full attention to his rice and ginger. Next time, he'd be firm and tell Kenya no, even if it meant dealing with the other boy's pouting for a week.


	69. How to Speak Choutarou (Silver Pair)

There were lots of reasons Shishido liked Choutarou, and some of them didn't involve how nice Choutarou looked on his knees or the faces Choutarou made when he shoved Shishido to his knees or the way Choutarou snorted right before he came – the last really took Shishido aback the first time and he laughed, earning him a week of hellish abstinence and 5,000 yen worth of repentance gifts.  
  
"Shishido-san, do you think we should go to the zoo this weekend? There's a new sea lion show that I thought we could check out."  
  
One of the things Shishido really liked about Choutarou was his little code games. 'Going to the zoo' really meant 'make out in the reptile house,' and 'sea lion show' really meant 'quickie in the bathroom before we catch the train on the way out.'  
  
"Shishido-san? Are you listening? Do you want to go, or do you want to do something else?" The way Choutarou bit his lip was really sexy. "Shishido-san? Are you okay? Do you need to see the nurse?"  
  
'See the nurse' was Choutarou's way of saying 'do you want me to take you over the ball machine again, Shishido-san?'  
  
"Yeah, the zoo would be great, Choutarou. I'll pay." Shishido didn't actually have any money but, when he said he'd pay, it really meant that he wanted to top this time, no matter what.  
  
Choutarou put a hand to Shishido's forehead. "You're burning up, Shishido-san. I'm taking you to the nurse."  
  
"Okay, I'll get the key to the gym from Atobe. Meet you there."


	70. Superb Planning (Maruihara)

Getting nowhere after a year of dating was dumb. Kirihara was going to be buchou; he could handle things other than kissing.   
  
Unfortunately, Marui-senpai didn't seem to agree and kept shoving Kirihara away right when he was about to get Mauri out of his boxers – he managed to get Marui's pants off pretty quickly but never could get the knack of taking the boxers with them; he suspected Marui kept them up with sock glue.  
  
The plan – and it took Akaya a good week of thinking and poring over boring 'what he wants' articles in his sister's magazines to come up with the idea – was to wait around, naked in Bunta's bedroom. No one could resist a cute, naked guy, right?  
  
So there he was, naked and freezing in Bunta's bedroom, waiting for his boyfriend to come home. Bunta's mom was nice when letting Kirihara in and offered him cookies and tea. The cookies were little tennis balls and the tea was some weird cherry stuff she bought at an import store. He accepted everything because she was going to be his in-law, and it was rude to take her son's virginity without first accepting her hospitality. The magazines taught Kirihara all about manners, too.  
  
He tried a few poses but all of them looked silly. In the end, he settled for lying, spread eagle, across Bunta's bed. He thought about tying a bow around himself, but it wasn't anyone's birthday and the only thing in the room suitable for tying was some old ribbon from a cake box and it looked like it would chafe a lot.  
  
"Bunta-nii, we need your help with-" The door burst opened and Marui's little brothers tumbled in, stared, then ran out. "MOM!!!"  
  
Kirihara hurried into his clothes and spread out his homework. Maybe he'd get naked _after_ he heard Bunta enter the house.


	71. Harvesting the Daikon (Sanayuki)

Sanada knew nothing about gardening, yet Yukimura insisted he help out. "I need your upper body strength to carry the harvest," he said, sliding his hand over Sanada's bicep in circles.   
  
The garden was three meters from the kitchen door. Yukimura had a small cart with wheels that Sanada bought him for his birthday. It sat, unused, along the side of the house.  
  
"I'm just harvesting the daikon today." Seiichi slipped on his gardening clogs and gloves. "They can be tricky so I might need you to help me." He leaned down with his spade and started digging around a plant.  
  
Sanada waited, trying not to look too put out. He could be asleep – it was still early in the morning – but no, he had to help Yukimura in the damn garden.  
  
"Got it!" Yukimura grabbed hold of the plant and began to pull. "It's a big one!"  
  
All Sanada could do was watch Yukimura's back arching up and down as he tried to pull the root from the ground. The pose was oddly like that time last week in the gym with the ball machines.  
  
"Genichirou, stop being useless; grab my hips and help me pull." Yukimura wiggled, just in case Sanada forgot where his hips were.  
  
Sanada leaned over Yukimura, grabbing hold of his hips and moving in time with Yukimura's tugs on the daikon. Three tries and the daikon slipped free, sending them sprawling to the ground.  
  
"Excellent," Yukimura said, giving Sanada's too tight pants a pat. "Only three more left."


	72. Get the Cake (Maruihara)

Marui sat in the clubhouse, waiting for everyone to jump out of the showers or wherever it was they were hiding. Having a birthday at the beginning of the school year usually sucked – everyone was busy bitching about new teachers and new students – but Marui's friends never failed to make the day special.  
  
"What're you doing, senpai? Yukimura-buchou said we're supposed to be checking the courts for cracks and stuff." Kirihara was covered from head to toe in dirt and pollen. "Fukubuchou hit me again," he said, seeing Marui wince at the cut across his cheek.  
  
"I _thought_ my _friends_ would want to celebrate my birthday with me, but I guess I was wrong." Marui crossed his arms over his chest and sulked. "And I got a really good cake, too."  
  
Kirihara licked his lips. "I got an idea, senpai." He ran and locked the clubhouse door. "They're not gonna be back for a while, so why don't we have our own party?"  
  
Marui didn't think a party of two was going to be very much fun. "Nah. Let's just go."  
  
"I've even got a surprise for you, senpai!" Kirihara pushed Marui back to the bench when he tried to get up.   
  
"Let's just forget it." Marui tried to push back up and was surprised at Kirihara's strength. He was also a little surprised when Kirihara lifted his shirt and there was a message painted on him in black ink. _Happy Birthday. Don't take too long._  
  
Marui looked at the signatures of his friends then up to Kirihara's smirking face. "Oh."  
  
"Still wanna go to practice, senpai?" Kirihara asked, fingers stretching out the elastic of his shorts.  
  
Marui grinned and smacked his lips. "I'll go get the cake."


	73. Golden Globes (Maruihara)

"Sit still, we're gonna miss it." Marui kicked Kirihara off of him and scrambled for the TV remote. "Get the popcorn from off the table. The stuff in the tin." He listened as Kirihara clanked around in the kitchen.  
  
"There's five different tins in here, senpai! Which one?"  
  
Marui rolled his eyes and tried to get the right channel. There were only five international channels, and all of them were on commercial, making it impossible to determine which one the show was on. "Bring them all!"  
  
Kirihara entered a moment later, balancing popcorn tubs against his naked chest. "Senpai, you're gonna get crumbs on the couch."  
  
"Mom'll clean it up." He reached and grabbed a tub of cheddar popcorn. "Feed it to me," he ordered, leaning back to relax a bit more. "I think I've got the channel right. Our show should be on soon."  
  
"Can't we just go to your room and do stuff?" Reluctantly, Kirihara straddled Marui's chest and began feeding him, one kernel at a time. "I don't understand English."  
  
"You don't have to. That's the beauty of award shows. Get me the caramel now." Marui liked the jostle of Akaya's body against his when the younger boy got up to get the next tin. After the show, he'd have to reward Akaya up in his room.  
  
Kirihara plopped back down. "When you said we were watching the Golden Globes, I thought it was porn, senpai. You lied to me." Kirihara shoved a handful of popcorn in his mouth and made sure to get crumbs all over Marui's chest. "Oops," he said, "I've really made a mess, senpai. Don't worry, though, I'll clean it up."  
  
With Akaya's tongue sliding over his torso, Marui completely missed the red carpet preshow and a good bit of the opening entertainment. It was worth it, though. The caramel corn really did taste much better with a dash of Akaya.


	74. Ask Yukimura (Rikkai)

Sanada wasn't in a particularly cheerful mood, and his mood didn't improve when Kirihara tugged at his sleeve and said, in the most earnest tone Sanada'd ever heard, "Fukubuchou, how did you get buchou to sleep with you?"  
  
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Sanada understood that Kirihara was neither five nor asexual – catching him with his hands up Marui's shirt after practice was enough to establish that – but, still, hearing Akaya ask such a question was like being asked to explain anal sex to his eighty year old grandfather. It simply wasn't done.  
  
"Ask Yukimura," he said, pulling his hat down a bit further. "Or check the internet."  
  
Kirihara tugged at Sanada's sleeve again. "I'm being serious," he said, without a hint of his usual whine and sneer. "I need to know. I don't-" He bit his lip and took an inhale through his nose. "I don't think I can wait much longer before I do something not good, so I need to know how to do it right."  
  
Sanada promised he'd never tell a living soul this, but Kirihara was so desperate that he couldn't hold out. "I didn't do anything," he admitted. "Yukimura shoved me to the ground, ripped off my pants, and rode me 'til I begged for mercy."  
  
A bit of blood trailed out of Kirihara's nostrils.  
  
Sanada handed him a handkerchief. "I told you," he said, "to go ask Yukimura."


	75. Hallway Chatter (YanaBun)

"You've got nothing on me, you liar." Marui pushed past Renji into the hall, bound for the cafeteria.  
  
Renji grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "I was just pointing out an observation. There's no need to get defensive." He rubbed Marui's arm and took a step closer. "My observations also indicate that the back of your ear is overly sensitive. Is that true, Bunta?"  
  
"Anyone's ear would be sensitive if someone was licking it, asshole. Now get away." Marui tried to step away, but Renji was pretty strong for a nerd.   
  
"It would be unfortunate if Yukimura found out that you copied my homework last week, wouldn't it?" Renji's other hand was cupping Marui's ass, right out in the middle of the hall where everyone could talk and see and shit that freshman saw the ear thing, didn't he?  
  
"Look, I copied your homework because you wouldn't give me time to do it myself, so unless you want me telling _that_ to Seiichi, get your hands off of me." Even if the friction felt nice, Marui had standards – and a mother that would kill him for public indiscretions.   
  
"The chances are high he'll be glad you're getting some."   
  
Marui finally managed to get free. "Yeah, we'll what's he gonna say when he finds out that you're cut off, huh?" He shook his ass at his bitchy boyfriend. "Go buy me some melon bread and maybe I'll think about reinstating your status."  
  
Renji's eyes went wide and he hurried off to the cafeteria, mumbling about unforeseen variables.


	76. Bitter Defeat (Maruihara)

"Don't be so upset, senpai. I thought you did good." Kirihara wrapped his arms around Marui's shoulders while glaring at his buchou. Yukimura-buchou knew how important this was to Marui and still entered the contest, stealing Bunta's first place trophy.   
  
"I hate you!" Marui screamed at his best friend, chucking his silver trophy at Yukimura's head. Sanada caught the trophy and set it on the table.   
  
"It was just a school competition," Yukimura said, not looking sorry at all.   
  
Kirihara didn't think buchou did better than Marui. Marui's bubble popping and fan dancing was much better than Yukimura's singing and plate balancing. "I'll take you for cake," he told Bunta, pulling the other boy to his feet.   
  
"You might want to get out of the heels first," Seiichi said, removing clip-on earrings and handing them to Sanada. "And your eyeliner is running."  
  
Marui gave Yukimura the finger. "I'll win next year," he grumbled into Kirihara's chest.  
  
"Of course you will, senpai." Kirihara lifted Marui's chin with a finger and gave him a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth. "None of the girls beat you, though. That's something, right?"  
  
Marui eyed the golden Miss Rikkaidai trophy Yukimura was making love to in the corner. "Next year," he said before cleaning up his face with a baby wipe and striding out of the dressing room. Kirihara grabbed his boyfriend's purse and hustled along after him.


	77. Secret Training (Maruihara)

"I didn't expect to see you here." Fuji smiled and tried not to look confrontational. Tezuka always told him his confrontational attitude was the reason he had no friends.  
  
Marui scratched his head and looked around the small shop. "We're down here for secret training. I think Renji's spying on people and everyone else is at some resort, using their courts for practice." He shrugged and picked up a handkerchief with red eyed bunny rabbits on it. "You think a mom would like something like this? I mean, I can get it at home, but she wants me to bring her back something."  
  
Fuji blinked, then considered the handkerchief. "It's cute," he decided. Maybe he'd get one for his brother.   
  
"Buntaaaaa!" A yellow ball flew at Marui and nearly knocked him into the display case. "Stop looking at this crap. You've got enough bunny stuff." Kirihara tugged at Marui's arm. "You promised we could go get ice cream. We can't have a date without ice cream."  
  
Fuji grinned. Oh, Inui would love to know about this.  
  
"Yeah. Our training date. To train. Away from home. Where _nobody_ will see or hear of our _training._ " Marui bought two of the bunny handkerchiefs and gave one to Kirihara.  
  
Fuji decided against purchasing one for Yuuta; he wouldn't want people thinking he was copying Rikkaidai. The Hello Kitty one was more appropriate.


	78. Tight (JackaBun)

For a small guy, Marui was pretty heavy. It was probably all the muscle mass he'd developed while training for nationals. Marui put an emphasis on training agility and stamina and it paid off in compact muscles in his thighs and a tight, tight-  
  
"Hey Jackal, I think I'm gonna puke."  
  
He shifted Marui a bit so, if he did puke, he was doing it over Jackal's shoulder and not on his head. "We're almost to your place, hold on a little longer." Where was he? Oh yes, compact muscles in his thighs and a tight, tight –   
  
"Hey Jackal, you gettin' turned on by carrying me home?" Marui's foot rubbed against Jackal's crotch. "That's weird."   
  
"Speak for yourself." He pulled Marui's legs forward a bit more and felt a swelling against his back. "Or did all that sugary stuff you ate do that to you?"  
  
Marui snickered and nuzzled against Jackal's neck. "Both," he giggled. Then he burped. "I think I'm still gonna puke, though. You might wanna let me down."  
  
Jackal complied and, while Marui freed up some stomach space, bent over a planter, Jackal enjoyed the tight, tight fruit of Marui's training.


	79. Beach Excursions (Rikkai)

Niou tapped Yagyuu on the shoulder. "What's up with him," he asked, pointing to a catatonic Marui on a beach blanket. "He's gonna burn to a crisp in five minutes."  
  
"Are you suggesting we go rub some sunblock on him, Niou-kun? I happen to have some, if that's what you're implying." He held up a bottle of SPF 70, the honey-thick stuff Yukimura wore to keep from turning into a lobster after two seconds of UV exposure.  
  
Niou shivered, remembering Yagyuu's hands on his back earlier that afternoon. "Nah, he's probably okay, and the runt would kill us anyway." He looked out over the beach, searching for a curly head of hair. Kirihara was probably traumatizing seagulls or something.  
  
"I believe Kirihara-kun went swimming." Yagyuu stepped closer and turned Niou's body in the direction of a game of water volleyball between Jackal/Kirihara pair and Sanada/Renji pair. Yukimura cheered from under an umbrella.  
  
"He's naked," Niou observed.   
  
"Not naked," Yagyuu corrected, kindly averting Niou's gaze back to catatonic Marui. "He's wearing a thong bikini. I believe it's the one you purchased for him as an April Fools joke."  
  
A kid came and started burying Marui in the sand. Yagyuu patted Niou on the rear and made for their umbrella. "It's a little too hot out here, don't you think? Let's go in the shade, Niou-kun."  
  
Niou followed because his brain was somewhere in the sand, a puddle of disbelief.


	80. Volley Practice (AtoJi)

Marui spun around the livingroom of Akutagawa Jirou's house. "This place is huge," he said, taking in all the furniture. "We've just got a little couch at my place, but you've got a whole set."  
  
Jirou patted the couch. "Wanna try it? It's comfy." He stretched out over it with a yawn. "You can lay across it and just fall asleep."  
  
Out of the goodness of his heart and the promise of some cash, Marui trucked an overnight bag to Jirou's place to teach him about volleys. The Hyoutei player had a private tennis court and, even better, a heated indoor swimming pool. Marui was looking forward to a float in an isolated pool. It was going to be awesome.   
  
"We should get to the court before it's too late," he told Jirou. He waited a bit before tapping Jirou on the shoulder and saying, in a louder voice, "Hey! Tennis time!"  
  
Jirou yawned and made a cute little squeak, like a kitten. "Sorry. I'm a little tired." Jirou reached out and grabbed Marui's wrist. "Let's rest a bit, then we'll go play."  
  
Being a tensai didn't mean that Marui knew what to do when he found himself pulled atop a boy from a rival school - a boy who was clearly delighted by his presence. "So, about that tennis." He tried to push off, but Jirou had some really strong arms for such a wimpy looking guy. "If we're not playing tennis, then I should go home. I've got stuff I could be doing."  
  
"You can do me." Jirou said it in such a normal tone that Marui almost found himself saying okay before his brain comprehended what had been said.  
  
"Look, it's cool that you like me, but I really wanted to play tennis."  
  
Jirou's hand worked its way under Marui's shorts and onto the curve of his ass. "We need to get our heart rates up before practicing so we can replicate match conditions." He rolled his hips forward. "A tensai like you already knew that, right?"  
  
Marui's throat tightened as he tried not to sound too turned on. "I guess this is as good a warmup as any," he managed through the bliss of Jirou's grinding. "If anyone asks, though, we ran laps."  
  
Jirou's legs wrapped around Marui's legs, pressing them further together. "Did you know," he said, his voice getting breathy, "that I'm your biggest fan?"


	81. Road to Recovery (Sanayuki)

Yukimura's recovery rate was ridiculous and a little alarming. Two days after release from the hospital, he was back on the court again, fielding balls from Sanada and Renji, returning them with two thirds his previous potential.  
  
"I don't have much time," he said, smashing a ball deep into the court. "I can't just recover; I have to surpass what I was."  
  
Sanada thought Yukimura's tennis was fine the way it was, but he kept his mouth closed out of respect and guilt.   
  
"Practice is over," Renji said, moving off the court. "I'm going home."  
  
Sanada made to leave but stopped when Seiichi smacked him in the shoulder with a ball. "Stay, Genichirou. I'm not done training yet."  
  
He stayed and, after an hour, Yukimura ordered him to play a game. They took it slow for the first round; Sanada tested Yukimura's strength and Yukimura goaded Sanada into playing seriously. At the end of the match they were both panting, but Sanada's legs gave in first and he collapsed to the sound of Yukimura laughing out a 6-0 victory.  
  
For losing so horribly to an infirmed boy, Sanada was charged with striking the net and ten laps. When he staggered into the clubhouse, he was irritable and felt like bugs were crawling along his skin.  
  
"It was a good game, Genichirou." Seiichi was freshly showered and trotting around the clubhouse in his boxers. "Work on your topspin a bit and perhaps you'll score next time."  
  
Sanada couldn't remember the last time he and Yukimura were alone after Seiichi was released from the hospital. As he tried to think on it, he came to realize that there hadn't been one. The over exaggerated stretch Yukimura took to reach his bag atop the row of lockers told Sanada that Yukimura had made the same realization.   
  
His legs were ready to give out, but they found the energy to get him to Yukimura in three strides. His arms, still burning with lactic acid, grabbed Seiichi and hoisted him over an equally aching shoulder. "I have to take a shower."  
  
Seiichi didn't complain, just wiggled out of his boxers and threw them aside while somehow managing to remain balanced on Sanada's shoulder. "I might have missed a few places, too," he said, reaching back to run his hands along Sanada's spine.  
  
Once in the showers, Yukimura slid down Sanada's torso and started the water. "Don’t get your uniform wet, Genichirou, or-" Seiichi's back impacted with the wall before he had a chance to finish.  
  
The lovely thing about Seiichi was that, once Sanada had him pinned to the floor, he was more or less silent, save for the occasional grunts and whimpers. There were no demands, no idle bits of chatter to break the mood and ruin Sanada's focus as he grabbed Seiichi's legs and pushed his captain's ankles back to meet the tile.  
  
The water was cold when they finished, and Sanada's uniform was sopping wet because he couldn't be bothered to do more than push his shorts to his knees. Seiichi didn't seem to mind, though, he just lay on the tile, smiling and scratching at his belly while Sanada washed off the remainder of his disgraceful loss on the court as well as his consolation prize.


	82. Advanced Dorks and Drama (Seigaku)

"You're wasting a perfectly good Strength stat." Horio glared at Ishida Tetsu's character sheet. "Be a barbarian."  
  
Ishida took the sheet back. "I'm a Halfling bard. My Charisma's just as good as my strength and I'd be wasting my Int score if I was a barbarian."  
  
"Just let him be the bard if we wants to be the bard. It's no big deal; I have a big Strength so I can be the barbarian." Shinji penciled in Half-Orc barbarian and grinned. "I'm going to crush them all…"  
  
"I'm a wizard!" Kamio declared, showing everyone a rude sketch of his half-elf. "When do I get to learn Fireball?"  
  
"You're the one who said we needed more players," Katsuo grumbled when Horio tried to hide behind his DM screen and disappear.  
  
"The only people who would even talk to us were Fudomine." Kachiro looked at the clock. "I'm hungry."  
  
"Don't worry," Ishida smiled and gave a thumbs up. "We've got snacks covered this week."  
  
A moment later, Tachibana Kippei trudged in with an armful of bags. "Sakurai said he was getting some class books or something. Here's your food." He dumped the bags and began walking out.  
  
"Wait!" Horio screamed, launching himself at Tachibana's feet. "We still need a cleric!"  
  
Tachibana kicked Horio away but was unable to ignore the pleading puppy eyes of his teammates. "Only until Uchimura and Mori get back from that camping trip."  
  
"Tachibana-san!"  
  
Horio righted his screen and handed Tachibana a character sheet. "Start rolling."


	83. Before Practice (Sanayuki)

The cookies were burnt, but Sanada swallowed them down without so much as a twitch of his eye. "Good," he said, licking his lips more to get the flakes of char off than to savor whatever taste the crisp treats were supposed to have.  
  
Yukimura took the plastic tub back and sealed away the cookies Sanada hadn't eaten yet. "You don't have to lie, Genichirou. I tried one before I gave them to you." He took out a bottle of water and handed it to his fukubuchou. "They're horrible, aren't they?"  
  
"Pretty bad," Sanada admitted before downing the bottle in three hard gulps.   
  
Yukimura cleared his throat and looked away from the small drops of water trailing down Sanada's throat. "It's time for practice." Yukimura adjusted his headband before holding out his hand. "Let's go, Sanada."  
  
Sanada wiped his hand dry before handing Yukimura his tennis bag. Then, when the bag was settled over Seiichi's shoulder, Genichirou swept up Yukimura's hand, gave it a quick squeeze, and thundered out the door, ordering laps.


	84. Apology (Tezufuji)

He wasn't in the wrong, but Fuji refused his explanations, refused to have anything to do with Tezuka until he apologized.   
  
A week of silence between them was a bit much for telling Fuji he should lay off Yuuta and respect his choices, even if that choice was Mizuki.  
  
"Fuji," Tezuka began, staring at himself in the mirror, "I apologize for not considering your feelings, but my advice was sound and you are overreacting."  
  
No, that wouldn't work. Again.  
  
"Fuji, I'm sorry. I was wrong and apologize. Not speaking to you has been the most painful week of my life."  
  
Yes, much better. He dialed Fuji's number. "Yes, Tezuka?" Fuji answered. "Do you have something you'd like to say?"  
  
He cleared his throat and fixed his hair, even though Fuji couldn't see how tussled it was from his repeated attempts to yank it out in frustration. "Fuji, let's play tennis."


	85. Aches and Worry (Sanayuki)

Yukimura was going to kick his ass and never speak to him again. When Seiichi woke up, he'd stare at his bruised body and never speak to Sanada again.  
  
But damn if it wasn't exactly what Sanada wanted – at the time, anyway. Now his back was sore from bending too much and his ass hurt where Seiichi's heels dug in. And he was thirsty but couldn't get to the glass of water on his desk because moving would wake Seiichi, ensuring his death.  
  
"Go to sleep, Genichirou." Yukimura's hand slid around Sanada's waist and onto his ass. "Or do you want to try it again?" Seiichi lifted a little to look at the alarm clock. "We've got four hours until your mother comes to wake us up."  
  
His hips protested when he moved to loom over Yukimura and his ass stung when Seiichi looped his legs around and used Sanada like a set of human monkeybars, but it wasn't any worse than a day at practice, and Yukimura wasn't killing him for coming early the last three times, so Sanada bore the aches as best he could.


	86. Cleaning Duty (Rikkai)

Niou kicked a dustpan at Kirihara. "This is all your fault," he said. "You clean this up."  
  
Kirihara kicked the dustpan back, hitting Niou in the shin, then ran to hide behind Marui. "Buchou's just in a bad mood because fukubuchou got that love letter in his locker today. I didn't do anything."  
  
"You sent it!" Niou hissed.   
  
"I did not!" Kirihara squeaked, burying himself further in Marui's side. "Why would I send a letter to stupid fukubuchou?"  
  
"Keep cleaning!" Yukimura commanded, throwing a tennis ball at Niou's shoulder. "No socializing!"  
  
"Seiichi, I didn't even read it." Sanada paused in his rubbing of Yukimura's feet long enough to attempt an adoring look to his captain.  
  
"Keep rubbing, Genichirou."  
  
"Yes, Yukimura."


	87. Form (Inukai)

Inui stares at Kaidoh and everything feels hopeless, not because Kaidoh ignores him or dislikes him, but because Inui is Kaidoh's friend and his senpai. That's it.  
  
"Inui-senpai, am I doing it wrong?" Kaidoh freezes and checks his form. "Should I bend my knees more?"  
  
"Your form is perfect, Kaidoh." He smiles and knows that Kaidoh understands he's talking about more than the position of Kaidoh's knees. "Try not to over rotate your arm. You're losing 6% of your power to unnecessary movement."  
  
Kaidoh nods and begins his practice strokes again. Inui turns to evaluate the rest of the team. "Kikumaru, widen your legs." He makes a note that Eiji's working on a new move, something speed oriented if the new tension in his calves is any indication. "Oishi, up your protein intake." Oishi's eyes look hollow, meaning his wrist is still bothering him and he's not telling anyone, though Kikumaru probably knows; he's already adjusted to the loss of power in Oishi's serve.  
  
Inui hates the Golden Pair, if only because they're part of something wonderful and he's not. Inui is sometimes Doubles Two with Kaidoh. The rest of the time, he's the manager, a duty he took up so he'd have a legitimate reason to stare at Kaidoh, touch Kaidoh, talk to Kaidoh.  
  
He feels Kaidoh's hand on his arm. Kaidoh is the only one, aside from Kikumaru, who will physically touch him, and always with a shaky, sweaty hand. "Yes, Kaidoh?"  
  
"Senpai, I finished my training program. What now?" Kaidoh holds on to his arm and waits for instruction.  
  
 _Dinner. With me._ "Rest and drink some water, but don't cool down too much. We should do some strength training after this."   
  
"Okay, senpai." Kaidoh walks away, back hunched and shoulders drooping.   
  
Inui finishes his observation of the team and moves to sit beside Kaidoh. "You trained hard today, Kaidoh. It's okay if you would like to skip the weights. It may be beneficial for you to take a day or two off, to let your muscles acclimate and rebuild." Even though sweat is still pouring down Kaidoh's face, soaking the collar of his uniform, Inui wants to hold him, kiss his neck until he shivers.  
  
"I can do more." Kaidoh takes off his bandana and wipes the sweat off himself before retying it. "Will you spot me in the weight room, senpai?"  
  
"I should continue my analysis of the team. Perhaps Taka-san would be willing. He needs the training as well." There is a 78% chance that he'll do something inappropriate if alone in the weight room with Kaidoh.   
  
"That's okay." Kaidoh hisses and stands. "I have homework I should do anyway."   
  
He wants to grab Kaidoh's arm, tell him not to go, but everyone is watching them, even Tezuka. He's been warned about taking advantage of his kouhai before, when Tezuka caught him staring in the lockeroom; going after Kaidoh now, even if he's 36% certain Kaidoh was disappointed, might jeopardize his chances of a good placement at the next match.  
  
A tennis ball hits him in the head. He's not sure from which direction it came, but he turns toward Kaidoh out of instinct. "Kaidoh!" he calls, ignoring Tezuka's frown and Kikumaru's grin. "Perhaps if we do not stay too long, I can do a quick evaluation of this week's progress."  
  
Kaidoh uncurls from his slouch and gives Inui a tiny, fragile smile. "Okay, senpai."


	88. Say It (Tezufuji)

Tezuka's mouth opened and closed. He faked a hiccup.   
  
"You okay?" Fuji turned to him, ducking down a bit to catch Tezuka's downturned eyes. "You've been really quiet today."   
  
Were they in private, Tezuka would take up Fuji's hand and place a kiss to it, ensuring the tensai that all was well. Shoved together at the bus stop, he could do no more than nod. If he tried to speak, he'd say something ridiculous and embarrass them both.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
Tezuka nodded, holding his silence through the short bus ride to his house. Finally, in the safety of his small street, he took Fuji's hand. "I wanted to say I love you," he said, looking away because he knew Fuji would find his blush cute and want to kiss his cheek. The neighbors could be watching, or his parents, so they still had to be careful.  
  
Fuji squeezed Tezuka's fingers tightly before releasing. Both of them were aware of the rules of their relationship. "I love you, too," he said. "It feels good to say, doesn't it?"  
  
Tezuka nodded and would have said more, but his grandfather was out in the front yard, trimming one of his pet bonsai.


	89. Arrangements (OshiGaku)

History was boring and Oshitari missed Gakuto. He didn't miss the fighting or Gakuto's insistence that he 'stop talking like a pervert,' but Oshitari missed the snark of Gakuto's voice and, even more, the way Gakuto's calves constricted while he walked. Taking out his phone, he quietly texted a message beneath his desk.  
  
 _Miss you. Miss me?_  
  
He waited through part of a lecture on the Meiji Restoration, his phone held tightly below the desk. Usually Gakuto didn't take long to respond.  
  
 _Stop goofing off in class, Yuushi. Kantoku's really pissy today. Yeah, I miss you too._  
  
Oshitari was of the opinion that Kantoku needed to get laid. It certainly did wonders to tone down Gakuto's attitude.  
  
 _Bathroom at 12:15? We didn't have the opportunity yesterday and I desire your company._  
  
Gakuto liked it when Yuushi took the initiative and set up the time and place of their afternoon trysts. Yuushi liked it even more when their plans worked and their meeting places weren't already taken. If Atobe and Jirou were in the bathroom today, Oshitari and Mukahi were simply going to proceed as planned. Hopefully, Kantoku wouldn't walk in on them again.


	90. Hat (Sanayuki)

For all the inconveniences of his illness, Seiichi rather enjoyed his time in the hospital. He got regular meals and, even better, regularly scheduled Genichirou. Yukimura couldn’t do much, of course; the IVs limited his range of movement during the first stages and, later on, his own weak limbs made movement difficult, but, somehow, Genichirou always managed to satisfy Seiichi's need for naked companionship.  
  
"I'm moving your leg a little," Sanada said, carefully sliding Yukimura's leg to the side and up. "Tell me if it hurts too much."  
  
Using abdominal muscles that were slowly fading from lack of use, Yukimura curled up and removed Sanada's hat. "You're only allowed one piece of clothing and you've still got your socks on," he said when Sanada was about to protest. He chucked the hat into the garbage bin, hoping Sanada would soon be too distracted to remember it.  
  
Instead, Genichirou set Yukimura's leg down and rushed to pick up his hat. "Your aim's slipping," he said. "Maybe we should wait. You're tired."   
  
"I'm fine." Yukimura spread his legs as best he could, trying to display his readiness. "We don't have much more time, Sanada."  
  
Setting the cursed hat down on the visitor's chair, Genichirou repositioned Yukimura's leg. "Only once today. You're tired."


	91. The Sauce (Rikkai)

"Senpai, is barbeque sauce supposed to be pink?" Kirihara poked at the bowl of sauce with a spoon, half afraid the spoon would melt in the magenta sauce.  
  
"Shut up. It's a test batch." Marui thwapped Akaya on the arm with a potholder. "Even a genius can't get it right on the first try every time."  
  
Jackal walked into the kitchen and stared at the sauce. "You're trying to poison me," he said. "The deal's off if you poison me."  
  
"Don't give me ideas," Marui grumbled, wanting to hit Jackal with the potholder, too, but refraining because Jackal was the man with the dirt and Seiichi would kick his ass if it was revealed that Marui and Kirihara were the ones who made off with Seiichi's stash of idol magazines.  
  
"I've got a text ready to go on my phone. My dying message will be beautiful retribution." Jackal looked at the sauce again. "You should save that, though. I hear Hyoutei's having a potluck on Monday; you can give it to that guy who's always bugging you at practice."  
  
Kirihara took the bowl and dumped it into the sink. "Senpai doesn't need to go near Hyoutei or that weird kid. He'd probably just kidnap Marui-senpai and have his wicked way with him."  
  
Jackal and Marui stared at Kirihara as he viciously scraped the sauce out of the bowl. Jackal was the first to break into laughter. "And you're worried about Seiichi getting mad?" Marui really didn't appreciate the snort in his ear. "I'm gonna go watch TV while you try the sauce again. And don't burn the steaks or I'm sending that message."  
  
Marui gave in and hit Jackal. If he squealed, at least Marui would die with the knowledge that Akaya would take Jackal down in beautiful retribution.


	92. Obvious (Sanayuki)

Yukimura traced slow lines through the creases in Sanada's abdomen. "You don't think we're like them, do you Sanada?"  
  
With Seiichi perched on his pelvis, rocking slowly forward and back, Sanada's wasn't thinking much of anything. "No," he said, because that was what Seiichi wanted to hear.  
  
"Do you think we're as obvious as they are?" Yukimura continued tracing Sanada's body but his hips stilled. "They were falling all over one another during the tournament today."  
  
Sanada didn't think standing next to one another counted for much, but he was hard and tired from an impromptu game of Find the Kouhai after his match. "We are discreet," he said, knowing it to be true. Sanada would never presume he could enter Yukimura's personal space in front of an audience. Likewise, Seiichi only came into Sanada's space to give him swift kicks to the ass when he didn't do as told. Sometimes, there was also a grope during the day, but those were infrequent and hard to spot.   
  
Yukimura smiled and continued his rocking. "Do you think we should have locked the clubhouse?" he asked, grinding harder against Sanada's thin tennis shorts.  
  
"It's fine," Sanada said. "No one will know."


	93. Run In (Various)

The train platform was cold and Yukimura missed his train by two minutes. Now, instead of the express train, he would have to take the normal train, which would make him ten minutes late for his date with Genichirou.  
  
That wasn't the worst of it, though.  
  
"I'm visiting my aunt," Fuji Syuusuke said, smiling that obviously fake smile. "And you?"  
  
"Medical exam. I'm going to my specialist." Yukimura smiled back, equally as fake. At six at night, no aunts or doctors wanted to be bothered with a bunch of middle school kids.   
  
Fuji looked over his shoulder, squinting toward the stairs to the platform. "I thought I heard something," he said.  
  
"Inui and Renji are both watching a program on television. We have fifteen more minutes before they figure out which train we're on." Yukimura straightened his shirt, tucking it in simply because Fuji had his untucked and it looked disgusting. He added, as an afterthought, "Not that he would be overly concerned with your aunt."  
  
Fuji laughed, short and as condescending as he could be without giving Yukimura the finger. "Have a lovely night, Yukimura-kun."  
  
Seiichi waved as Fuji walked back a few cars and prayed that the tensai wasn't getting off at his stop.


	94. Vicious Rumors (Sanayuki)

Rumors were nasty little things, and Sanada often ignored them. This one, though, was everywhere. Even the girls in his class were talking about it.  
  
"I heard Yukimura-kun has a crush," the girls giggled. "I wonder who she is." Then the names flew, mostly girls on the tennis team, a few from the swim team.  
  
Sanada knew better than to listen to that kind of thing. If Yukimura liked girls, he would've been at the girls' courts, offering to help out during practice. Seiichi wasn't a shy person; he saw something he wanted and he went for it.  
  
"Is something the matter, Genichirou?" Renji put a hand to Sanada's shoulder, turning him away from the chattering girls.  
  
"Yukimura has a crush."  
  
"Of course he does." Renji grinned, as if this catastrophe were the greatest news on Earth. "I hear it's someone tall and strong." He moved in a bit and whispered, "and I hear he's so well hung, you could dry towels on it."  
  
Sanada's hands curled into fists. He had to do something before this big idiot took Yukimura away from the team. Maybe a canister of new balls would get Seiichi's attention, or an invitation for some ramen. "I need to go," he said, trying to figure out how much money he had and how much he could get out of Niou for keeping quiet about the phosphorous strips that magically vanished from the chemistry lab.


	95. Problematic (MomoRyo)

Momoshiro grins at his reflection in Echizen's bedroom window. The candlelight glints off his skin and he wonders if anyone outside can see him. They'd only see his chest, his marvelous, toned chest, but the flexing of his pectorals and the hunched yet tense position of his shoulders would give it all away.  
  
He's thirty strokes in now – he's been counting – and Echizen is still being a little shit. The freshman is just flopped over on the bed, grabbing onto the comforter. No noises, not even an encouraging moan of Momoshiro's name. The only thing Echizen's said all night was a warning to his cat to stay off the bed.  
  
But even if Echizen doesn't moan out Momoshiro's name or beg for it harder, Momo knows his thirty strokes aren't in vain because he can feel Echizen clenching around him, hips pressing forward against the bed in a matching rhythm.   
  
Just when Momo thinks he's about ready to go, everything starts feeling weird. The smooth, slick channel is bumpy and chafes at Little Momo, forcing him to pull out.  
  
Echizen flips over and stares. "It broke," he says, pointing to the hot pink condom that is half up and half down Little Momo. "You bought the cheap ones, didn't you?" Echizen flops back on the bed. "Mada mada da ne, Momo-chan-senpai."  
  
Little Momo is certainly not mada mada da ne. In fact, Little Momo is just about ready to explode. "Hey Echizen," Momoshiro says, crawling forward on the bed, sliding his groin across his kouhai's as he moves to straddle Echizen's chest. "I'll Uhn if you'll Ah."


	96. Wake Up (Hyoutei)

Gakuto hated the first day of school. He never got to do anything fun; he was always stuck making sure his idiot of a best friend made it to class and home without major incident.  
  
"Akutagawa Jirou-kun," the homeroom teacher called. "Is Akutagawa-kun here?"  
  
"He's here," Gakuto said, pointing to the desk where Jirou was snuggling his backpack and drooling.  
  
The teacher smiled and marked the attendance. She must be new; most of the teachers already knew that Jirou never responded during attendance, or at any other point in the school day that wasn't tennis practice or lunch. "Please wake him up, ah," she consulted her seating chart, "Mukahi-kun."  
  
Gakuto rolled his eyes. "Sorry sensei, but there's only one way to wake him up, and it's not very pretty."  
  
"Mukahi-kun, I believe I asked you to wake him up."  
  
He didn't like this snooty-ass homeroom teacher. He'd have to talk to Atobe about it, see if Kantoku couldn't do something to fix the lady's attitude. Leaving his desk and moving against a wall, Gakuto called out, "Hey! Isn't that Marui Bunta!"  
  
Jirou's eyes shot open and, within moments, the room was upturned as he looked for his idol. "Where? Here? Now!?" When the room as reduced to rubble and there was no Marui, Jirou righted his desk and sank back into sleep. "Liars," he grumbled.  
  
Gakuto dusted some dirt off his uniform shirt and picked up his desk. "Told you," he said, smirking at the trembling homeroom teacher. "You should just let him sleep."


	97. Iris (Shiraishi/Kenya)

"You're doing it wrong." Shiraishi's whisper in his ear nearly caused a wonderful black streak of paint to ruin Kenya's two hours of work.  
  
"Shut up. It's fine." He looked at the picture and smiled. This was an A, guaranteed.  
  
"The irises are way too purple." Shiraishi took Kenya's paint pallet and fiddled with the colors, mixing them until he got something that looked more like Kenya's paint water than the flowers on the stool beside the easel. "Here."  
  
Kenya stared at the pallet, then to his idiot of a captain. "I hate you," he said, smearing a glob of paint on Shiraishi's nose.  
  
Then, he ran for it.


	98. Something Lost (TezuFuji)

It hurt sometimes, so much so that some days he didn't bother going down to practice, just stared at the proceedings from a classroom, texting instructions to Oishi. His arm was damaged, the team knew and accepted this, but what they didn't understand was the loss, the constant desire to take up his racquet and test the limits of his failing tendons.  
  
"Tezuka?" Fuji entered the room and Tezuka pretended not to notice.  
  
The team was looking better, almost ready for the match against Hyoutei. He didn't think anyone on the team understood what they were up against, the level of skill, but they would make it; he would make sure of that.  
  
"Tezuka." Fuji's hand landed on his arm and the skin prickled with awareness sharper than any of the muscle spasms that kept him awake at night.  
  
"Fuji." He allowed himself to rest back, his side pressing into Fuji's. "You should be practicing. There isn't much time." Fuji was, in many ways, Tezuka's trump card. If he couldn't be there – a part of him knew he wouldn't be – at least Fuji could carry on in his place, keep the dream of nationals a reality.  
  
"Come down," Fuji said, sliding his hand down from elbow to wrist. "They're worried about you."  
  
As he let Fuji lead him out of the room, just before he shook free and nestled into his straight-backed mantle of authority, he allowed himself to smile. Even if his tendons failed him and he could never hold a racquet again, he could still have this.


	99. Crane Games (SanaNiou)

Kirihara didn't get it. It went against everything he believed in.   
  
But there they were, staring at a crane game, shoving at each other with their elbows, trying not to hold hands because that would be too girly for Sanada and too uncool for Niou.   
  
They even had matching phone straps, two halves of a tennis ball that fit together like one of those friendship locket things.  
  
"I want the Pokemon," Niou said, leaning against the machine, watching as fukubuchou bit his tongue and tried to get the plushie for the fifth time since Kirihara'd stumbled upon them.   
  
Sanada managed another stuffed giraffe and set it aside in his growing pile of not-Pokemon. "There's nothing wrong with these," he grumbled, popping another 200 yen into the machine. "Go get me a soda while I finish this."   
  
Kirihara's vision momentarily blacked out when Niou gave Sanada's rear a pat. In front of a group of girls. Was he being territorial or was he messing with them? You never could tell with Niou-senpai.   
  
"Have that Pokemon when I get back," Niou said as he strutted off. He had his back to Sanada so he didn't see fukubuchou give him the finger under the cover of his newly won plush snail.


	100. Concessions (SanaNiou)

Niou wasn't going to give in and ask first; that was Sanada's job. If he wanted to be the big, bad fukubuchou and pull rank then he could damn well do the asking. Niou could wait all day, if need be. He was patient.   
  
Sanada, on the other hand, was pacing and growling to himself, not realizing that he looked kind of cute with his face all red.  
  
Still, Niou was steadfast. "I was thinking of heading home after practice," he said, examining the dirt under his nails. "Mom's been whining about me staying out late." He looked over to Sanada and flicked a bit of nail dirt at him. "And it's not like I've got anything better to do."   
  
Either Sanada was going to explode, or he was going to give in.   
  
"Fine." The surly fukubuchou stomped to his locker and began throwing things in his tennis bag. "We'll go to your house and study. I'll stay for dinner."


	101. 164cm (JackaBun)

Marui stared at the page in front of him. "I'm the shortest on the team," he said, hands shaking just the slightest.   
  
"You lost by 4cm, senpai!" Kirihara seemed to take delight in pointing out his circled height.  
  
"You haven't grown in years, so don't worry about it." Jackal took the data sheet out of Marui's hands and threw it in the trash. "A lot of guys don't grow until they hit 18." He looped an arm around Marui's waist and pulled him toward the clubroom door. "Let's go get some yakiniku, hm? It'll make you feel better."  
  
"I'm not hungry," Marui mumbled, shaking out of Jackal's hold. "I'm short and I'm not hungry."  
  
They went through this every year during physical exams, and every year Marui swore, after a good tantrum, that he didn't care. Jackal should've known better than to think this year would be different. "Keep me company, then. The nurse said I needed to eat more meat to help out my muscles." Jackal flexed because he knew he looked good.  
  
"You're an idiot," Marui grumbled. "And if you're so set on bulking up, you can carry my bag." He threw it at Jackal's head.  
  
"My pleasure." The bag was light, Marui didn't carry many extraneous things, and Jackal liked the feel of it on his left shoulder. He'd always dreamed about carrying a pretty girl's bag for her while everyone on the street looked on in envy.  
  
"What the hell are you grinning about?" Marui poked Jackal in the side and popped a bubble at him. "That knock to the head Sanada gave you mess your brain up?"  
  
"Just thinking that I like your height." And he did. When they stood next to eachother on the train, Marui was just the right height to fall asleep in the crook of Jackal's arm. Also, Jackal's hand was always at the perfect level to…  
  
"Hey! Watch it!" Marui tightened his belt and straightened the back of his uniform slacks.  
  
"There was some dirt there. I was just getting it off." He couldn't help but grin at Marui's blush. "Sorry if I startled you."  
  
"You're paying for the yakiniku. And I'm getting an extra beef set, so you better be ready to cough up the cash." Marui's fists tightened. "Maybe the protein'll help me grow some."  
  
Jackal's hand shifted down again. "You're fine. Sanada's tall and it hasn't done anything for him, just makes him trip over his feet more."  
  
Marui snickered and stepped closer. "True. My genius would be hampered if I grew too much." They reached the bus stop and Marui yawned and rested his head on Jackal's side. "Don't you get any taller, either. I like you how you are, too."


	102. The Healing Power (JackaBun)

Jackal stepped into the Marui household and was tempted to turn and leave immediately.  
  
"Fan faster; it's hot in here!" Marui snapped his fingers and his younger brothers grunted and waved their paper fans faster, sending a breeze over Bunta's face. "Ah, that's nice."   
  
Really, with such a nice setup, there wasn't a reason for Jackal to be there. He could just go home and…  
  
"Jackal!" Bunta flapped his arms, gesturing his doubles partner over. "You came to see me!" He grabbed a bell on a nearby table and gave it two rings.  
  
"We're right here, Bunta-nii, you don't have to ring it." One of the twins grabbed the bell and put it back.  
  
"Water for my guest," Bunta said. He wiggled up to a sitting position, wincing a little. "The doctor says I have to stay off it for three days." He stared forlornly at his ace bandaged ankle. "I feel like the world's over."  
  
"If the world's over I guess you don't need these tarts." Jackal dangled the pastry box over Marui's head, just out of reach. "I'll give them to a homeless guy or something so your memory can live on."  
  
Marui bounced off the couch and grabbed the box.   
  
Jackal sent Marui's injured leg a pointed glance.  
  
As he settled back onto the couch, Marui held the tart in the air. "Behold! I am healed!"


	103. Gifts from the Heart (Rikkai)

Kirihara walked happily between Sanada and Yukimura, swinging the hands he'd captured from each of them. "It's really nice out," he said, grinning up at Sanada, who couldn't wear his hat today because he lost a bet and Yukimura-buchou had the hat locked up in the equipment shed for the weekend. "Where should we go first?"  
  
Sanada didn't say anything, just looked straight ahead and frowned.   
  
"We'll try the row of shops coming up," Yukimura suggested. He cleared his throat. "You look constipated Sanada. Smile."  
  
"Yeah fukubuchou, isn't it fun to go shopping with your favorite kouhai?" Kirihara gave Sanada's hand a squeeze and bumped their joined hands against Sanada's hip. "What're you getting your mom?"  
  
"I made her a shoe rack," Sanada grumbled out. He reached for his hat and grunted when he nearly poked himself in the eye.  
  
"Oooh! We could build something together!" Yukimura didn't so much smile as bare his teeth through upturned lips. "Wouldn't that be lovely, Sanada? You can pass your skill on to Akaya."  
  
Sanada looked down at Kirihara, infinite laps reflected in his eyes. "Of course, Yukimura."  
  
Kirihara grinned because he already had infinite laps for stealing Sanada's grip tape as a souvenir of their time playing tennis together. "I'll make one for you, too, buchou," he said. "You and fukubuchou can put it in the high school clubhouse and share it."  
  
"That sounds wonderful." Yukimura squeezed Kirihara's hand and tugged the group across the street, away from the hat shop that was stealing Sanada's attention.


	104. Shop Talk (Maruihara)

"Don't touch anything." Marui stood tall and fixed the tie of the one suit he owned. He had to look older today, sophisticated. "And stop staring or you'll blow our cover."  
  
"But it's _huge_ ," Kirihara hissed, pointing to a giant rubber…something. He wasn't sure what the thing was called, but he could guess at its function and he really, really, really hoped that Bunta wasn't going to buy it. "How is it supposed to fit up someone's-"  
  
"Can I help you gentlemen?" A tattooed sales assistant walked up, smiling and bowing in greeting. "We have some wonderful new items I could show you."  
  
Kirihara didn't like the way salesman-kun was looking at Bunta. Yes Marui looked older and more handsome in the suit, but it was Kirihara's privilege to stare and touch and use weird things on him. "We're just looking. Thanks, though." Akaya tugged Marui across the store, into the 'For Him' section.  
  
Marui took a look at the rubber female genitalia and blowup dolls and gagged. "We're under cover," he grumbled, "but we're not _that_ under cov


	105. On Cuddling (Tezufuji)

Tezuka enjoyed cuddling. He also enjoyed tennis, an obedient team, and mountain climbing. Unfortunately, he only had the means to fulfill half of his desires.  
  
"Fuji. My house will be empty this afternoon." He didn't need to explicitly say what he wanted of Fuji – dating a tensai had its advantages – but he did hope that Fuji didn't overestimate his desires and arrive in naught but hotpants and a hockey jersey. Cuddling against the jersey was uncomfortable and left mesh-marks on Tezuka's arms.  
  
Humming, Fuji made a grab for Tezuka's hand while the other regulars found something very marvelous outside and had to investigate it immediately. "Yuuta's coming home tonight and I have to help my sister bake a pie." Fuji's eyebrows turned down, which was the only indication Tezuka got that Fuji really was going to be baking and that 'bake a pie' wasn't some odd Fuji sibling euphemism for 'stalk St. Rudolph again this weekend.'  
  
A real man would take the news with grace and dignity. A real man in training would pout a moment before taking the news with grace and dignity, earning him a boyfriend in the lap and long, messy kisses.   
  
"I'll make a pie for you, too, Tezuka," Fuji promised, circling his arms around Tezuka's shoulders and leaning in.  
  
Content in the warmth of Fuji's embrace, Tezuka simply hummed his agreement and squeezed just a little bit tighter.


	106. The Sane One (D1)

Yagyuu was the only sane one on the team. He came to this conclusion after thorough analysis and much suffering.  
  
"Hey, ya wanna go get some ramen?" Niou looped his arm over Yagyuu's shoulder and bumped their hips together. "I'll pay." Niou only offered to pay when he wanted to cheat off of Yagyuu's homework.  
  
"I was thinking of playing a game of golf after school. I have a new driver that needs to be worked in. You're welcome to join me, of course, but I doubt it will be very exciting." He took a step to the side and fixed his glasses. The ones he was currently wearing were a year old, his newer pair having broken in a game against Akaya earlier in the week. The little runt was rattling off about his speed and how even the Laser Beam couldn't stand up to his might.   
  
Kirihara currently sported a bandage on his left cheek due to ball burn. The entire mess could've been avoided if he hadn't insisted that Yagyuu go at full strength and, really, what use was playing if you weren't going to show your best at all times? It was just a minor wound and would heal quickly, unlike Yagyuu's glasses, which were designer and whose lightweight lenses were worth more than the Yagyuu family car.  
  
"Hey, you listening? I said I'd come with you." Niou's hip bumped into Yagyuu's again. "Why the Hell're you always wandering off into space when I'm trying to have a decent conversation with you?"  
  
Telling Niou that conversations that began with 'suck my' or 'hey, ya wanna' were not remotely decent was a losing battle. Yagyuu was still trying to get Niou to say please when asking someone to pass the soy sauce. "My apologies, Niou-kun. Please continue."   
  
"Hey, ya wanna get some ramen? You know, before we go golfing?" This time, Niou's hand bumped his. "I didn't see much of you and ah…"  
  
"Lonely, Niou-kun?" Yagyuu enjoyed watching Niou blush. He enjoyed, even more, the moment of disorientation Masaharu suffered shortly after said blush. In those crucial five seconds, the other boy would agree to anything. "I accept your invitation to dinner, Niou-kun. It was kind of you to offer to treat. I was a bit worried that I might not have enough for the driving range." He tapped his knuckles against Niou's and bought himself another five seconds. "You wouldn't happen to have 500 yen I could borrow?"


	107. Things Not Tennis (MomoRyo)

Echizen knew about sex but chose to ignore it in favor of tennis. He wasn't an idiot; he knew what went where and that girls were extra disgusting for a few days every month because they were defective and bleeding. He also knew that boys had a tendency to get hard ons at inappropriate times, like during tennis practice or a really easy English test. None of it mattered so long as he showed up to practice on time, got to play Singles, and the old man left him the hell alone.  
  
None of the videos the Americans showed him in fifth grade mentioned that boys looked good playing tennis with their shirts off. Had the videos mentioned something about that, Ryoma might have been a little more cautious when he went to practice, used the old man's blind tennis trick or something.  
  
"Hey Echizen, did you check out the height on that last one?" Momoshiro tapped his racquet against his bare back and laughed. "It's got to be the highest I've gone all week!"  
  
It _was_ the highest Momo'd jumped all week, possibly all month. Echizen knew this because he'd been going to the street courts with Momo nearly every day since he'd moved back to Japan and joined Seigaku's tennis team. He went with Momo because the big idiot didn't have any friends and the old man said that Ryoma couldn't come home before six on a school night, since healthy young boys should be out with friends, living it up. Momo thought that living it up meant perfecting his Dunk Smash, and Echizen figured Momo was better than rallying against the side of a building, so he tagged along.  
  
Now, because Echizen was clearly going insane, games at the street courts with Momo went from normal practice to a game in which Ryoma tried to see how many times he could get Momo's pecs to flex. They were only one year apart, but Momo's body was so much bigger than Ryoma's that the younger boy was fascinated…and horribly jealous. It wasn't fair that he was so small and the big idiot was so big, so strong, so-  
  
"You weren't even watching, were you?" Momo scratched at the back of his head and grumbled at the smoggy clouds passing over the court. "It was such a good one, too. Now no one'll believe it happened."  
  
Echizen didn't comment, just readied another serve. Nothing could comfort Momo-senpai when he was sulking over his bruised ego, not even a nuzzle from Karupin, which cheered Echizen up, even if it was after a loss to buchou. Without warning, he let his Twist Serve fly…right into the net.  
  
"You okay? That's the third time today." Momo hopped the net and ran up, taking hold of Ryoma by the shoulders. "You getting enough to eat? My mom says that growing boys need to be fed at least five times a day to keep up their energy."   
  
He shrugged Momo off and rolled his shoulders. "I'm fine." Up close, he could see the skin was tight across Momo's abs. How the hell was he supposed to play tennis like this? If things didn't improve, he would end up losing a game, and that was unacceptable. "I'm going home, Momo-senpai. I'll see you tomorrow." Frowning at the ground, Ryoma packed his things and left before the big idiot offered to let Echizen ride on the back of his bike, gripping his broad, naked shoulders.


	108. Experience (Seigaku)

"He's not that good," Horio whispered as soon as the Regulars were off the courts. "You ever notice that all he does is the Twist Serve? Kikumaru-senpai has more serves than Echizen."  
  
"Horio-kun, I don't think we should be-"  
  
Waving off Kachiro, Horio continued. "With two years of tennis experience, I can say that having just one serve isn't that impressive. You need a variety of moves to progress to the pro level."   
  
"The Drive B does look a little dumb," Katsuo admitted. "Kind of like he's trying to balance on the toilet in the Shinkansen."  
  
"I'm trying to tell you that-"  
  
Horio bumped Kachiro with his elbow as he moved to embrace Katsuo with one arm. "That's what I'm saying! Any punk at the street court could do it." Horio's hand slipped suspiciously close to Katsuo's backside. "Now me, I have lots of moves." He winked. "Because I have experience."  
  
"Watch out!" Kachiro ducked the Drive B that flew across the court, smacking up into Horio's chin. "I tried to tell you that Ryoma-kun was listening," he hissed to his fallen friend.   
  
"It'll just be part of his experience," Katsuo grumbled, stepping back so Horio couldn't look up his shorts.  
  
Echizen looked from Horio to the other two freshmen. "Why is he laughing?" He toed Horio's side with his sneaker.   
  
"He's probably daydreaming about your hat again, Ryoma-kun." Kachiro bit at his lip and checked the clubhouse to make sure none of the regulars were listening. He moved over and whispered in Echizen's ear. "He stole Kikumaru-senpai's bike shorts last week. He thinks they'll help his game if he wears them while he practices. Don't leave your hat lying around, okay Ryoma-kun."  
  
Hand securing his hat in place, Echizen stared down at Horio, who was still laughing and muttering about the Horio-sama Fanclub. He carefully toed up the side of Horio's shorts, then stepped back at the sight of spandex.   
  
Katsuo grabbed Ryoma and Kachiro by the arm and moved them away. "We'll just pretend like we don't know anything about it. We'll tell buchou that he slipped."  
  
Echizen peered over his shoulder and wondered, if only for a moment, if Horio, with his one year Regulars stalking experience, took commissions.


	109. Neighbors (AkuSen)

He wasn't sure why he even bothered with this crap. He didn't like people and he certainly didn't want to be surrounded by them and 'on his best behavior.'  
  
"We're doing well," Sengoku bragged, showing off the diamond stud in his ear. "Jin's restaurant's really taking off and, with me overseeing the service staff, it'll only grow stronger."  
  
The idiot preened and preened, convincing half the room that he actually got his lazy ass out of bed before noon and went to the fish market. "He faints when he sees fish with the heads on," Akutsu grumbled to himself. Why couldn't he have done the smart thing and ditched out on this lameass party?   
  
"Jin! Come say hello to our new neighbors!" Sengoku waved a carrot stick and trotted over, taking hold of Akutsu's arm. "They just moved in this weekend, so I thought it would be good to put in an appearance," he whispered, fingers rubbing at Jin's bicep. "We'll leave soon, okay?"  
  
He wouldn’t have to tolerate any of this if he'd just stayed in his small apartment. Sure the pipes were going, but the rent was cheap and it was closer to the restaurant. The walls weren't soundproof, though, and the idiot didn't know how to keep it down – even if Jin really was just that good.  
  
Still, they could've moved into a small place, not this ritzy neighborhood with compulsory gatherings to welcome bitchy new neighbors who were going to do nothing but complain because –   
  
"Akutsu-senpai!" Taichi Dan ran over, arms flailing. "Akutsu-senpai, I didn't know you lived next door!" He took a break from flailing to pull over a less than pleased Echizen Ryoma. "If you have time, please help Ryoma-kun! He can't even cook instant noodles and he's always in the kitchen, burning my pans and eating so much junk food that he's going to get fat!"  
  
Sengoku slid between Akutsu and his overly enthusiastic kouhai. "I'm sure we can recommend some courses for him to take. Jin will recommend him to a culinary school, won't you Jin?"  
  
Akutsu nodded and leaned forward, pressing himself to Sengoku's back. "We're leaving now," he said, turning himself and the other man toward the door.   
  
"Come by this weekend for dessert!" Dan waved his senpai out.  
  
When they were back on their own property, Akutsu finally let go of Sengoku's hips. "I'm never going back there," he said, "and I'm never going to any more of your damn social groups." He caught a look to the clock when he entered and scowled. "I'm making pasta. You can take the leftovers to the brats so they don't starve. Idiots."


	110. Fishing (TezuFuji)

Fuji stared at the earthworms in the tin can Tezuka used for his bait. In theory, Fuji was supposed to pick up the worm, skewer it on the hook, then fling the worm-hook combo off the dock and into the sea.  
  
It wasn't that he was afraid of worms – only idiots were afraid of worms or bugs – but the whole process was useless. Why should he dirty his hands when, for the last three days they'd been coming to the dock, they hadn't caught a single fish.   
  
Tezuka reached over Fuji, grabbed a worm, and baited Fuji's hook for him. "If you hesitate, you might miss the morning catch." Then, he took a worm for himself and cast out. "I talked to a few of the deep sea fishermen, and they said this spot was the best. We'll definitely get lucky today."  
  
Fuji cast his line and waited.   
  
He waited some more.  
  
Looking over, seeing Tezuka completely content with his headphones and a can of Ponta, Fuji smiled. He scooted over so his leg was pressed against the other boy's. "Tezuka? Has anyone ever caught a fish at this dock?"   
  
Tezuka pulled off his headphones and turned off his mp3 player. "The fishermen say the fish left here three years ago due to pollution."  
  
Fuji's fingers brushed across Tezuka's slowly tanning arm before twining their hands together. "You were right, Tezuka. We're definitely getting lucky today."


	111. Picnic (Chitose/Shiraishi)

On days like this, Shiraishi felt at peace with the world. A beautiful parasol above him, a soft blanket below him, and a manservant to skin his grapes. The foot massages were just icing on the cake.  
  
"Is it my turn yet?" Chitose asked, digging his thumb into Shiraishi's arch. "And stop eating so many grapes; you'll get the runs."  
  
Shiraishi kicked Chitose's hand away and crawled to the picnic basket. "Didn't you bring any sandwiches?"  
  
"Sandwiches were your thing. I brought the fruit." With a yawn, Chitose stretched his arms above his head and fell back onto the blanket. "Time for you to return the favor." He slipped his feet out of his geta and wiggled his toes.   
  
Shiraishi would never admit it, but Chitose had nice feet. Despite walking around barefoot half the time, Senri's feet were callus free, smooth and hydrated. It wasn't fair. "Didn't you say you wanted to play tennis today?"  
  
"This first, then tennis." Chitose dropped his ankle onto Shiraishi's thigh. "And don't forget to rub between my toes."  
  
On days like this, with Senri's foot in his hands and a near-empty picnic basket, Shiraishi wondered if Miyuki's stolen parasol, a blanket borrowed from Gin, and Chitose hogging all the honeydew melon was really worth it.  
  
He was rarely surprised to find that it was


	112. Tough Decisions (YuuMi)

Yuuta never thought that St. Rudolph would be his ultimate safe haven, but he expected it to be better than this.  
  
"Hey Yuuta, can you pass me the Romance Red?" Atsushi held out his hand, waiting for the nail polish.   
  
"No! Go with the Pleasure Plum, da ne!"  
  
Yuuta passed the Romance Red and the Pleasure Plum because he didn't really think either went with Akazawa's skin tone. The Melody Melon was much better – not that he was seriously thinking about joining in the "team activity." Painting your captain's toenails while he was passed out from too much contraband liquor was lame.   
  
"Yuuta-kun thinks the Melody Melon would be better," Mizuki chimed in, draping himself across Yuuta's back. "Isn't that right, Yuuta-kun?"   
  
The worst part about Akazawa passing out was that there was no one to act as an authority figure except Mizuki, who was as imposing as a flying squirrel and as grabby as a blindfolded toddler. "Mizuki-san, could you please get your hand out of my shirt?" Asking was useless, but Yuuta didn't want any of his teammates thinking he liked it – which he didn't. He only sighed that one time because Mizuki was squeezing so hard that he couldn't breathe.  
  
"We can make a break for it while they're distracted," Mizuki whispered, his lips touching Yuuta's ear and leaving sticky lipgloss behind. "I put some snacks in your room and stole Akazawa's fruit coolers."  
  
Somehow, locked in a room with Mizuki was still better than watching Atsushi and Yanagisawa argue over what color to paint Akazawa's gnarled toenails.  
  
The soft hand sliding up his back had nothing to do with it. Yuuta just wanted to wash the lipgloss off his ear.


	113. Priority Seating (Maruihara)

"Don't touch me."  
  
"I'm not touching you, senpai. I'm making sure the wall is safe." Kirihara slipped his hand into the back pocket of Marui's jeans. "If you fell against it, it'd get dirty, right?" He dug his fingers in, just a little, and remembered how nice it was yesterday when Bunta's parents and brothers weren't home and Marui walked around the house in his underwear while cleaning because his mother said he couldn't stay at Akaya's until the house was in order. "There's a seat open, so you should sit down. You worked hard, right?" He dug his fingers in again.  
  
"That's the priority seating. I'll just have to get up again if some old lady gets on." Marui pulled Kirihara's hand out of his jeans. "Stop being weird in public. People are staring."  
  
Marui didn't seem to understand that people staring was the reason Akaya was having to work so hard at protecting Marui today. The old man across the train was staring at Marui's neck like a vampire, and the girl standing next to him was taking photos with her ketai. If Kirihara wasn't there, who knew what kinds of perverts would be touching Bunta.  
  
Taking matters into his own hands, Kirihara pushed Marui into the open seat and quickly sat on his lap. "Look, now we're sharing." He cast a quick glance to the businessman and the keitai photo girl. Victory.  
  
Sighing, Marui reclined back in the seat and wrapped his arms around Kirihara's waist to keep his kouhai from falling. "You're not cute at all."  
  
Kirihara wiggled a bit. "You're cute enough for both of us senpai, so I don't have to worry about stuff like that." He wiggled again because he couldn't help himself.  
  
Marui snickered into Kirihara's shoulderblade. "Like the priority seating, huh?"  
  
Jabbing his elbow into his smug senpai's stomach, Akaya stood. "My stop's the next one, senpai. We should hurry, though, mom wants us home in time for lunch."  
  
Marui bumped Akaya's hip with his own and threw a smile to the pervy businessman and the ketai photo girl. "Guess we should hurry, then. If we eat quick, we could be back to my place before my family gets back. There's still some laundry to do and I should clean up the bathroom."  
  
Kirihara grinned. He really loved Marui-senpai's bathroom, almost as much as priority seating on the morning train.


	114. Gum (Ohtori/Hiyoshi)

"Don't touch me; I'm busy." Hiyoshi shoved at Choutarou with his elbow.  
  
"You looked like you were inviting me." Ohtori bumped Hiyoshi over and squeezed into a chair that was only supposed to hold one.  
  
Hiyoshi elbowed him again. "Some bastard spit gum on the court and it's stuck in my shoes." He resumed his attack on the gum, scraping a toothpick through the tread of the sneaker still on his foot. "Didn't Atobe say he was going to get a cleanup crew or something?"  
  
Choutarou moved up to sit on the arm of the chair. "He's been busy with his hair. He probably hasn't noticed anything." Ohtori's rubbed lightly across Hiyoshi's back in large, soothing circles. "If you use an ice cube it'll come off easier."  
  
"I'm fine." The ferocity of Hiyoshi's toothpick dwindled as he relaxed back into Ohtori's large, wonderful hands.  
  
The wonderful hands slid down Hiyoshi's arm and rubbed at his hip when Choutarou moved to kneel before his roommate. "Forget about the gum; you've had a rough day."  
  
All the tension returned to Hiyoshi's shoulders and he pointed his toothpick at Choutarou's nose. "I'm finishing. Go sit over there." He pointed the gummy toothpick toward the kitchen.  
  
Ohtori's fingers looped around Hiyoshi's and into the other boy's pants. "I helped you with your math yesterday, you know."  
  
Hiyoshi refused to give in to the same excuse Ohtori used yesterday. Choutarou always helped him with math, even when Hiyoshi didn't ask him to. "I'm getting rid of the gu-uh!"  
  
"Shit!" Ohtori pulled his hand back and stared at the small drop of blood on his forearm.  
  
"Sorry." Hiyoshi looked at his bloody toothpick, shrugged, and continued picking out the gum. "It slipped."  
  
Gritting his teeth, Ohtori stood and made for the kitchen. "I'll get the ice," he hissed.  
  
Hiyoshi made a point to have the sneaker and his pants off before Ohtori's return.


	115. Table Manners (Inukai)

Kaidoh's family was wonderful. They asked to pass the salt and they kept their elbows off the table. Kaidoh's mother didn't pry into her son's decisions to bring his senpai home, and Kaidoh's father chatted about the stock market and was sure to explain any terms his family didn't understand. Even Hazue was polite, asking advice on studying methods and calling him Inui-san.  
  
The only problem, it seemed, was Kaoru.  
  
A hand skimmed across Inui's knee. "This meal is fantastic," he said to cover up his discomfort and keep himself from sighing as the hand rubbed in circles. "I haven't had mackerel prepared in this manner before."  
  
Kaidoh's mother smiled and put another fish on his plate. "I can make more if you're hungry. Kaoru usually eats two or three helpings." She took a look at her son's plate. "Something wrong, Kaoru? Are you sick?"  
  
Inui's knee was momentarily released as Kaidoh waved off his mother's concern. "I didn't want to finish too quickly," he said. "Inui-senpai told me it was better to go slow."  
  
Inui coughed and reached for his water. "Yes, my research indicates that digestion is aided by slow consumption."  
  
In actuality, Inui told Kaidoh that a slower rhythm would help him prolong pleasure and would prevent premature finishes. Kaidoh's performance had improved considerably after that advice, and Inui had offered to give Kaidoh some suggestions on foreplay.  
  
He would not suggest 'handjob in risky location' again.


	116. Appropriate Attention (JackaBun)

Jackal was generally calm, but he had to admit there were…certain things that annoyed him.  
  
"Damn, you're right. Your glutes are rock solid." Niou whistled and smacked Marui's rear.   
  
He didn't appreciate it when Niou and Marui made bets as to whether or not Marui's weight training was bearing fruit, particularly when the test was to have half the team grope at Marui and take a vote.  
  
"Told you." Marui popped a bubble and a fleck flew onto the tip of Niou's nose, coating it in sticky green.   
  
"Bet _someone's_ happy about that," Niou snickered, rubbing at his nose until the gum rolled off. Jackal hoped all the rubbing left a rash.  
  
"Hey Jackal, we going out to eat after this? Mom's making that weird pork stuff again." The way Bunta's nose wrinkled when he was upset wasn't so much cute as a trait to which Jackal had become accustomed. He could not look at it if he wanted to.  
  
He shrugged and grabbed Bunta's arm. "If we're going, we better get there before it gets crowded and we have to wait."   
  
Marui snickered and moved Jackal's hand to the glutes previously under examination. "Whatcha think? They still need some work?"  
  
Jackal also disliked it when Yagyuu gave them catcalls as they left.


	117. Top Ten (InuKai)

Kaidoh went to Inui's house with the understanding that Inui would help him study for the entrance exam. Inui scored top of his class the year before; Kaidoh just wanted to be in the top ten to make his mother proud. If he wanted to get into a good school and do well in life he had to study, and Inui made a hobby of studying things so Kaidoh figured it was best to ask his senpai for help.  
  
Wanting to see Inui's new glasses had nothing to do with it.  
  
"I don't think you have much to worry about, Kaidoh. Your mock exams indicate that you will place in the top ten, if not the top five." The new glasses looked almost identical, but they were tortoise-shell instead of black. They made Inui look even nerdier than the previous ones.   
  
"Senpai, I don't think my social studies is going to score very well." Kaidoh grabbed his textbook, using the motion as an excuse to nudge closer to Inui. "Could you quiz me on the dates in chapter twelve?"  
  
The new glasses were also loose, so Inui had to adjust them more. "We reviewed chapter twelve yesterday. It would be wise to let the information have time to settle." Inui looked at the clock. "We seem to have completed our studying ahead of schedule." He pushed his glasses up his nose. "These new spectacles improve my vision by 2 percent." Setting last year's exam booklet down, he leaned forward to stare at Kaidoh's neck. "I note you're sweating, Kaidoh. Is it hot in here?" He pushed the glasses up again. "Perhaps you should remove your shirt."  
  
"Senpai, the last time I removed my shirt, you gave me a hickey on my stomach and Momoshiro laughed at me during practice."   
  
"You've retired from the team already, Kaidoh. Your argument is insufficient." Inui's chuckle reminded Kaidoh of the villains in the old samurai dramas his father watched – they always had that snide, deep laugh. "It's important for your body to remain at an agreeable temperature in order for you to absorb the maximum amount of data during our study sessions."  
  
"If I don't get in the top ten, I won't train with you for a month," Kaidoh warned, even though his fingers were already hooking around the bottom of his shirt.   
  
The new glasses rode down to the tip of Inui's nose and he leered at Kaidoh over the rims. "I'll quiz you thoroughly, then."


	118. Art Deviant (Maruihara)

While everyone else on the team showered, Marui stared at what had become of his English notebook. "You're, ah, really good at art." He eyed Kirihara then went back to looking at the notebook. "But you do know I have to hand this in every week, right? The teacher looks at it and checks the stuff inside."  
  
Kirihara grinned and shoved his way onto Marui's lap. "I drew the characters for your name really well, didn't I? Everyone'll know it's your book."   
  
Sometimes Marui understood why Sanada took to hitting people. "Yeah it's nice, but it's the other stuff that's going to get me sent to the office."  
  
"Well I thought, since your name turned out so good, I'd try mine, too." Akaya pressed his finger to Marui's lips then traced their names on the cover. "They look nice next to eachother."  
  
Bunta settled for smacking Akaya atop the head with the notebook. "That's still not the problem. The problem is _this_." He flipped the book over and pressed the back cover to Akaya's nose.  
  
"Mmm. That one came out _really_ well, didn't it? I think I paid good attention to detail."   
  
He hit Akaya with the notebook again. "I'm _naked_! And it's not even what I really look like naked!" Suppressing a gag, he looked at the sketch again. "I'll buy a new book and say I lost my first one."  
  
"Hey, that was hard to do. You don't give me much of a visual reference, senpai. Maybe if you…" Kirihara wiggled and Marui pushed him to the floor. "Dammit, that hurt! I was trying to be subtle! You didn't have to shove me on my ass!" Kirihara rubbed his backside. "I've already got bruises from when Fukubuchou hit that smash at me. Stupid Fukubuchou." Kirihara eyed the shower room. "Shouldn't you go clean up, senpai? You're all sweaty."  
  
"I'm keeping my clothes on if you're going to draw pervy pictures on my school stuff." Marui crossed his legs so Kirihara couldn't reposition himself.   
  
Akaya grinned and licked his lips. "You've gotta change sometime, senpai. And when you do, I'll be waiting."  
  
"Stalker."  
  
"Prude."  
  
"Crazy ass."  
  
"Only for yours, senpai."   
  
Marui threw the book and Kirihara dashed to get it. "I'll just keep this for reference, senpai. I want the next one to be better."  
  
While Akaya was snickering to himself, Marui grabbed his tennis bag and made a run for it.


	119. Foolproof Plans (Maruihara)

And they all said that he would be crap at doubles. Well he was sure showing them. He…  
  
Marui wasn't even looking, was he? The hell? Kirihara was trying his hardest not to "embarrass the name of Rikkai doubles" and Bunta was busy laughing with Jackal about something instead of paying attention to Kirihara's big moment.   
  
"Akaya?" Yanagi tapped him on the shoulder, drawing his eyes away from the Rikkai bench.  
  
"What?" He was still pissed, though. He did all that work with Yanagi-senpai to show Bunta that he was the best on the team, the most versatile. Why the hell was he even bothering if Bunta wasn't watching?  
  
He served and waited for the weird snake kid to hit him a ball. The spin was perfect, just like Yanagi-senpai said it would be. Cracking a grin, Kirihara launched into the air and smacked the ball down, laughing as the data kid fell to the ground atop the snake kid.   
  
He turned to the bench to see if Yukimura-buchou had seen his shot, would praise him.   
  
"About time," Marui mouthed, giving a thumbs up.  
  
Bastard. Akaya was going to give Bunta a piece of his mind as soon as he crushed Seigaku. First that crap at the semifinal and now this – stupid sneaky tensai boyfriends.


	120. Reunion (Tezufuji)

He'd gained a lot of weight. Well, perhaps not a lot, but Tezuka was no longer the svelte Adonis he was in junior high. Fuji didn't mind, though, and thought that the softness of Tezuka's arms just made him look all the better in the lavender polo he sported "for old times' sake."  
  
They hadn't talked face to face in two years, not since Fuji went abroad for business. Truthfully, Fuji was still abroad on business, but he had to make it to the 10 year team reunion. Oishi planned it and Eiji guilted everyone into coming, even Echizen, who showed up with a blonde child in a stroller and some guy he met while training in America for the U.S. Open.  
  
"Are you going to give a speech, Tezuka?" Fuji smiled up at his former captain and long-time friend. "I'm sure Oishi expects you to."  
  
Tezuka's sigh said he'd already prepared one and was dreading its delivery. "Did you prepare the collage in the lobby?" He didn't need to ask, Fuji was the only one who ever took photos back during their tennis days, but the conversation seemed to calm his nerves.  
  
"Eiji made me. Said he'd tell all of my dirty secrets if I didn't." When Fuji spoke to Tezuka over the phone, their conversations were short and awkward. Now, face to face, Fuji felt light and relaxed; the words moved naturally, pulling smiles and light laughter behind them. "He doesn't know I already told you," Fuji whispered, putting a finger to his heart then tapping the same spot on Tezuka's chest. "Don't spoil his fun."  
  
For a moment, Tezuka's hand brushed over Fuji's and a smile cracked through his tight knitted expression. "Promise."   
  
They said the same words two years ago, before Fuji boarded a plane to France and a brighter career. They promised that everything was fine, that no sacrifices needed to be made to maintain the feelings in their hearts.   
  
"I'll be back at the end of the quarter," Fuji whispered, unable to speak through the tightness in his throat, even though Momoshiro and Kaidoh were fighting in the corner and Fuji could barely hear his own voice at regular volume, let alone a whisper.  
  
"My apartment should be sufficient. I painted your room blue." From his pocket, Tezuka produced a key. "You don't need to knock."  
  
As Oishi called for the former Seigaku regulars to gather, Fuji clasped onto Tezuka's left arm, not caring that it was softer than he remembered – the warmth was still the same.


	121. New Things (Sanayuki)

He was in love. He'd thought it over for a week and come to the conclusion that he was horribly, mortifyingly in love. He, Yukimura Seiichi, the iron heart of Rikkaidai was doodling Sanada Genichirou's name in the margin of his notes and having disgusting daydreams about sharing a cotton candy while watching fireworks.  
  
You didn't win nationals by daydreaming. You won nationals by working hard, sweating out your shameful emotions until they retreated back to whatever cesspool of the mind created them.  
  
"Yukimura, you'll collapse if you work too hard without drinking any water." Sanada shoved a waterbottle into the path of Yukimura's racquet. When Seiichi ignored him, he added, "Please," in a voice so deep it rumbled in Yukimura's stomach.  
  
"If you have time to worry about me, you have time to worry about your footwork. You're getting slow, Sanada."   
  
"Genichirou's speed has increased since you've been away," Renji corrected, grinning like he knew about the doodles and the occasional incident in the shower that was between Yukimura and the heavens, not the team statistician.   
  
"If you have time to butt into conversations, you have time for twenty laps, Renji. Get going." He felt satisfied at Renji's momentary look of resignation, even if the expression was quickly covered over by that damn grin.   
  
Sanada cleared his throat. "I'll focus on my speed," he said. "I have some ideas for drills that I got from a book in the library. Would you like to come over after practice and help me evaluate them?"   
  
Of course he wanted to go. Nothing would make him happier than being in a room with Sanada, curled up together on the floor around a book on tennis strategy. It was the stuff dreams were made of…provided there was kissing and snuggling and declarations of undying love after they figured out how to get Sanada's lazy ass across the court faster.   
  
"I'll see if I can make time." He would have to hide today's science notes. Sanada's name was all over them. "I'll let you know when you finish your thirty laps for talking and not practicing."  
  
Sanada's "Yes, Yukimura" was like heavenly music, pure and loud and touching places deep inside Seiichi that no man had ever touched. Hopefully, someday, that would change.   
  
After they won nationals, of course.


	122. Gambling is Wrong (Rikkai)

Jackal's first mistake was making a bet with Niou. His second mistake was making a bet with Niou in front of Kirihara, who didn't know how to keep his mouth shut as soon as Yukimura was in view.  
  
"Hey buchou!" Kirihara waved Yukimura over with his racquet. "Jackal-senpai just bet Niou-senpai that he could get Marui-senpai to give up gum for him."  
  
Laughing that hard was inappropriate, really. Jackal could do it…maybe…hopefully. His dignity and his lunch money for next month were on the line.  
  
"What're we all standing around for?" Marui popped up behind Jackal, resting his chin on his partner's shoulder. "You guys planning something behind my back?"  
  
"NO!" Kirihara flapped around but was dragged off by Yukimura, destined for laps, weights, or whatever agonizing training exercise Yukimura found in his magazines this week.   
  
"Just talkin'," Niou said. "We can talk if we want to, right?"  
  
Marui's arms slid around Jackal's waist. "No trying to take my doubles partner. You've got your own."  
  
Jackal, while a nice guy, would never have considered himself to be very touchy-feely. He didn't hug, he didn't pat shoulders, and he didn't do too many high fives. Generally, Marui respected Jackal's personal space. "Ah, you can let me go now." He tried to wiggle out of Marui's arms but the tensai just held tighter.  
  
"Has Niou been saying anything weird to you? Asking you stupid questions?"   
  
How was he supposed to think when there were arms burning against his stomach and hot air prickled his ear? It felt like the first few moments after he first cut his hair, when the air tickled his scalp, sending ripples of sensation down to….  
  
"Time to practice. Niou, go find Yagyuu. Let's go, Bunta." With Marui still attached to his waist, he moved toward the courts. "Oh, and don't chew gum today."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because." Despite his rules on personal space, Jackal moved to whisper in Marui's ear. "I want Niou to starve until he repents ever saying you're all mouth and no action."  
  
Before Jackal could register what was going on, Marui spit out his gum and ran over to Niou. "Pay up, sucker. I told you he'd let me."  
  
Grumbling, Niou threw money into Marui's hands. "You only get half. I have to give the rest of it to him." Niou turned to glare at Jackal. "Keep your lousy doubles partner away from me. You got that?"  
  
Pocketing his earnings, Jackal raised his hand to give Marui a high five. Marui stomped past him. "You owe me 2500 yen, Jackal. I'll collect it in dinners this week and next." Turning, Marui winked. "It can be a date."  
  
2500 yen was not worth the heads that turned at the word "date," nor was it worth Niou's catcalling. Across the courts, Yagyuu took some money from Kirihara's hands and split it between himself and Niou. The two exchanged a high five and Jackal made a mental note to tell Sanada that Niou was planning to deface Yukimura's locker, and wouldn't it be a wise idea to nip the problem in the bud?  
  
"Hurry it up! I need to stretch!" Marui threw a tennis ball at Jackal's shoe. "I bet Yanagi 1000 yen that we could beat him and Yagyuu in a practice match."  
  
Jackal sighed and kissed the money in his pocket goodbye.


	123. Dog Days (Maruihara)

Kirihara eyed the brush and the dog dubiously. "Senpai, this isn't going to work."  
  
Marui sipped at his lemonade and looked at their list of clients. "You've got to have it done in twenty minutes, so it better work. We've got paying customers that need satisfaction." He held up his list of ten or so names, all neighborhood mothers wanting their disgusting dogs washed. And one cat. The bastard cat almost took off Akaya's arm when he tried to put its stupid bell collar back on. "Two more and we can go for lunch!"  
  
If Marui-senpai did more than supervise, perhaps there wouldn't have been a problem. Perhaps if Kirihara weren't expected to somehow wrangle the Labrador between his thighs while combing shampoo through its fur, Marui's genius dog washing business would've felt more like summer fun and less like slave labor.  
  
And Marui was spending all of the money on snacks to eat while Kirihara worked.  
  
"We should make enough to go see a movie this weekend. You wanted to see that weird American movie about the robots, right?"  
  
Dog straining between his legs, Kirihara managed to spare some energy to smile at his wonderful, thoughtful senpai. "And we can get the salt popcorn? And melon soda?" Kirihara's mother didn't believe in buying soda so the only time he ever got any was when Marui bought it.  
  
"Sure." A bubble slipped between Marui's lips and exploded in a loud pop. "Just hurry up and get that dog clean before the owner comes. We won't get paid if the dog's still wet."  
  
Kirihara scrubbed the dog harder than he'd ever scrubbed anything in life. And sure the dog bit him a few times, but he was going to see a movie about killer robots and gorge himself on melon soda. What was that – and some quiet touches in the dark – compared to a few bleeding wounds and the possibility of rabies?  
  
"Hey, if you bleed on the dog we won't get paid. Watch it."  
  
Snarling to himself, Kirihara resumed brushing the dog who, though named Poopsie, was proving to be rather shitty.


	124. Malfunction (OsaGin)

Osamu was used to having bad ideas. Ditching out on dental school halfway through was a bad idea, shacking up with that chick in Kanagawa for a year was a bad idea, and getting this job was a bad idea. Well, the year with the chick was pretty sweet, actually. She paid all the bills, cooked all the meals, and wasn't a bad conversationalist. Still, she wanted jewelry and for Osamu to carry her little rat dog around in a pink dogpurse. A guy had to draw the line somewhere.  
  
"Osamuuuuuuuuu, Yuuji stole my underwear and won't give it baaaaaaaaaaaack."   
  
These kids, though, they'd be the death of him.  
  
"That's because you're wearing women's underwear you pervert! And you're showing it off!"   
  
They were spirited, but a little on the dim side. Clearing his throat, Osamu confiscated the pink satin panties. Ah, how long had it been since he'd held a pair of these? "Go run laps or work on formations or something." He pocketed the underwear, making a note to slip it into the faculty bathroom during lunch tomorrow, just to stir things up. Or maybe he'd put it in Kenya's bag. That kid needed to lighten up or he'd have an attack before graduation.  
  
"Chitose says you need help with your car." Gin's shadow fell over Osamu's napping form. "Is it the alternator again?"  
  
He shrugged. How the hell was he supposed to know if it was the alternator? All Osamu knew about cars was that you put gas in them when the little meter said you needed to, took it to the auto shop when the insurance company needed reports, and turned the key to make it go vroom – or, in the case of Osamu's slightly more abused vehicle, you turned the key to make it sputter and cough up black smoke.   
  
"Did you take it to a mechanic?" Gin was a nice kid, but far too serious. And too tall. And too muscled. Really, he looked, sounded, and acted too old for his age. When Osamu didn't answer, he just stared patiently, waiting.  
  
Osamu covered his face with his hat. "Can't you just do it?" he grumbled. Mechanics cost money and Gin was free. The kid even had the stamp from his father's auto garage to validate the papers the insurance company needed. It was a sweet deal so long as…so long as Osamu didn't…but he wouldn't really…except he did that one time, purely by accident and-  
  
"I'll get a tool kit from my dad and come over to your place tonight. Put a tarp under the car so we don't stain the cement."  
  
So calm, so collected, even after Osamu kind of lost it last week and had to check Gin's muscles out for himself. They were covered in transmission fluid and reflected the streetlights so beautifully. And Gin didn't say anything about it, just waited quietly while Osamu pinched and rubbed and got transmission fluid all over one of his good shirts.   
  
"Gin-saaaaaaan. Osamu-kun took my panties! Get them back for meeeee?" Konjiki sidled up to Gin and wrapped his leg around Gin's massive thigh.  
  
"Forty laps!"   
  
Did he just say that? Nah, must've been Shiraishi. Osamu scratched at his head. He really needed to get some more sleep if he was hallucinating.  
  
Konjiki blinked and ran off. "Yuujiiiiiii! Osamu yelled at meeeeee!"  
  
Gin shook his head, but Osamu thought he saw a bit of a curve to dry lips. "I'll get the toolbox and be there by six. Order a pizza."  
  
Osamu nodded and began a mental inventory of his wallet. He'd have to borrow some cash off Shiraishi if he wanted to get extra scallops on the pizza. Gin liked extra scallops, and the protein would be good for him after he spent an hour or so jacking up the car and covering himself in motor oil. Mmm. Motor oil.  
  
No. Absolutely not. Absolutely…well, maybe just tonight would be okay.


	125. Poncho (Chiquita)

They laughed at the kid in the poncho because his walk was a little too lazy and he was just a little bit too out of it to be anything other than stupid. Yoshizaki said that the kid in the poncho didn't own a uniform because his parents were too poor.   
  
Tachibana didn't say that he thought the poncho was kind of cool and that, if he could get away with it, he wouldn't be wearing the uniform, either.  
  
After the first day of tennis club tryouts, everybody was wearing beads in their hair and looking for ponchos to put over their uniforms. (They weren't quite so daring as to assume they could go without.)  
  
"Hey," Tachibana told the kid in the poncho, "pick up your share of the balls or get the hell off the court."  
  
The kid in the poncho – why did he wear the poncho to play when he had a perfectly good P.E. uniform? – smiled and tossed a ball into Tachibana's basket. "Nice hair," he said. "You're a pretty shitty tennis player, though. Your shots go everywhere."  
  
Kippei wasn't going to take crap from some slackass in a glorified burlap sack. Instead, he was going to punch the bastard in the face, earning them both laps but ensuring that the captain remembered them both.   
  
"When we're on the team, I'll show you how good my shots are," he huffed after their laps were done.   
  
The poncho kid laughed, not even out of breath, and gave Kippei a thumbs up. "I'll beat you in twenty shots, tops. If it even takes that much."  
  
Chitose Senri was an asshole…but Kippei kind of liked his style. Just a little.


	126. Better than Fiction (Maruihara)

Kirihara looked from the manga to the mirror and back.   
  
He lifted his shirt.  
  
"Not good enough," he grumbled, throwing the comic aside. How the hell did this wimpy artsy kid in the manga have better abs than he did? How!? Was he lifting a weighted paintbrush or doing crunches every night after the stupid, equally as toned seme ground him into his bed?  
  
Kirihara played tennis _every day_ and didn't get those kinds of results.  
  
"Let it go already. It's a damn manga. None of it's _real_."  
  
That was easy for Marui-senpai to say. Marui-senpai had nice thighs and was really flexible. Kirihara was being out-muscled by an art student in a manga.  
  
Marui took the manga and flipped through it. "Steroids," he said. "They're on steroids. Not even Sanada's that ripped." He threw the book into the trash. "Stop reading crap and focus on enriching your mind." He pulled out a copy of Better Homes and Gardens Cakes of the World. "Here. It's in English so you can study _and_ be useful at the same time."  
  
Akaya pulled his manga from the trash and put it on his desk. He'd have to return it to his sister's room before she got home. "The book looks pretty thick, senpai. And it's probably too hard for me to-"  
  
"Bet carrying it around would give you some nice arms, though." Marui waved the book. "And just think of all those delicious desserts you could make, all the flour bags you'd have to lift, the squats to get the cakes out of the oven. It's exercise."  
  
Kirihara doubted baking would be the path to a buffer, more beautiful him. It would probably get him some, though, so at least he could beat the damn manga art kid at something.


	127. Respect (D1)

Niou Masaharu had it going on. He was good looking, brilliant, and, best of all, feared across the Kantou Region. Everyone knew his name and gave him a wide breadth when he walked down the street.  
  
Everyone except one guy who clearly didn't know who he was dealing with.  
  
"Oh, excuse me. I didn't see you there." Yagyuu Hiroshi didn't know anything about respecting his superiors. He also knew nothing about fashion judging from the lame golf pants and the little hat he was wearing.  
  
"Maybe you need to get your eyes checked. Your prescription's probably past due, right?" Nothing got to a kid with glasses like making fun of his eyesight. It was a tried and true method.  
  
"I've got an appointment for next Friday. I have to make due until then, though. I appreciate your concern."  
  
There was no reason for the idiot to _smile_ at him. Clearly Yagyuu wasn't bright enough to realize when he was being insulted. Niou would try the direct approach.  
  
"Your pants are ugly." Not his usual, suave material, but you had to adapt to your audience.  
  
Yagyuu looked down at his pants. "Golf pants are supposed to be ugly, Niou-kun. It's tradition." The corners of his mouth lifted, just a little. "I can always take them off if you prefer."  
  
As Yagyuu's fingers played with the waistband of those god-awful pants, Niou booked a hasty retreat to regroup himself for a comeback. Or failing that, he'd at least make sure he wasn't wearing the Stitch boxers.


	128. Lost and Found (YuuMi)

If he could get into the backpack and get out of the room before Mizuki came, he'd be a hero. The team would worship him and Akazawa-buchou would let him be Singles 1, just for his feat of daring.  
  
If he failed…best not to think of it.  
  
"It's got to be here somewhere," Yuuta grumbled as he sorted through highlighters and mechanical pencils that Mizuki'd chewed on so much that the lead only clicked forward every three pushes. He dug past a few small notebooks, a copy of _Jane Eyre_ in English that Mizuki must keep for show because the spine showed no signs of wear, and a pack of rose mint gum.  
  
The team's pride was at stake and he couldn't even find a damn pot of lipgloss.   
  
"Yuuta-kun? What are you doing here?"  
  
Crap. "Ah, just looking for the training schedule, Mizuki-san. Hope you don't mind the intrusion." Not good. Not good at all. If this was anything like the last time –   
  
"Oh Yuuta-kun, you don't have to make up excuses just to see me." Mizuki draped over Yuuta's back, crushing him in a hug. "You're always welcome here."  
  
Now Mizuki would get the wrong idea and Yuuta would have to go along with it because he really owed Mizuki for getting him out of Seigaku, but the other members of the team were going to laugh and…  
  
…oh god, Yuuta just found the lipgloss.


	129. Waiting (MomoKai, Inukai)

He could either be a hero or an asshole. He could march into the lobby, give the snake a punch in the face, and shove him into Inui-senpai's hospital room, or he could sit there with Kaidoh and whisper sweet nothings, maybe cop a reassuring feel, and see to it that Inui and Kaidoh were through.  
  
It would be so easy.  
  
_It wouldn't have happened if you stood up for your partner sooner, Mamushi._  
  
That's all it would take to bring things to an end and allow Momo his chance.  
  
And he could do it – wanted to do it. Momo'd been flirting with Kaidoh for almost two years, and Inui only noticed Kaidoh a few months ago. Momo was entitled to be bitter. He deserved to take the opportunity.  
  
Steeling himself, he walked over to his rival.  
  
"Get your ass in there before you start crying all over the floor like a girl, Mamushi."  
  
Kaidoh sniffled up his tears and dashed down the hall, ignoring the nurses' calls for him to walk. Momoshiro sat down and picked up a magazine. Kaidoh would have to go home eventually, and he probably wouldn't want to be seen in public since he'd undoubtedly be crying. Momo would give Kaidoh a ride on his bike. Maybe the snake would wrap his arms around Momo's waist for a minute or two before he started talking about Inui-senpai.  
  
Reclining back, Momo covered his face with a magazine and, to all appearances, slept while waiting for his friend.


	130. Dead Guy Delay (Maruihara)

Akaya envisioned that his birthday would begin with snuggling on the train and end with snuggling in Marui-senpai's room. In actuality, his birthday was ending on platform 3 while they waited for the line to start up again after an "unforeseen accident."  
  
"Someone died on my birthday," Akaya pushed an elementary school kid off the seat next to Marui. "Someone died and now the train's held up and your brothers are going to be home by the time we get there." He already knew he wasn't going to get the Big Gift because Marui-senpai was a prude and a tease and had weird ideas about chastity and hemorrhoids. The least Akaya was asking for was some quiet time in which to drape himself lovingly over his favorite senpai and shower kisses down across a hopefully bare chest.  
  
But no, some ass had to jump in front of the train, ruining Kirihara's birthday completely.   
  
"Stop being pissy. Aren't you supposed to be happy on your birthday?" Marui fished through his school bag. "Here, eat some chocolate."  
  
Bunta thought chocolate solved everything, from the flu to broken limbs. Chocolate didn't solve important birthday groping time having been stolen by a dead guy.   
  
Kirihara hoped the dead guy's soul was forced to wander aimlessly for all eternity, suffering as Kirihara was suffering.   
  
Marui's fist bopped him on the head. "The brats have a violin recital tonight, so no one will be home until around nine. Stop freaking out."  
  
Kirihara grabbed the chocolate bar and began warming it in his hands. If the dead guy was off the tracks in the next twenty minutes, they could be to Marui's place with enough time for Akaya to make good use of the melted chocolate and the marshmallow crème that Bunta kept under his bed "for emergencies." It wasn't the Big Gift but, in light of the dead guy, Akaya was pretty sure Marui would make some concessions.


	131. Burst (Maruihara)

Kirihara looked from the hospital bed, to the door, and back. Marui-senpai'd been reading for an hour now. His voice was hoarse and he wasn't properly conveying the utter helplessness of the boy in the story, but he continued on as if he hadn't spent the last three days in the same pair of pants.  
  
It was all the little bastard's fault for getting appendicitis. Marui Ryuichi probably waited until the last possible moment to speak up about his abdominal pain, just so he could be in the hospital longer and steal Marui away from Kirihara's evil plans to ravish him.  
  
Well, Kirihara was on to the brat's plan and he was having none of it.  
  
"Senpai, we should get something to eat." Mentioning food worked when Kirihara wanted to lure Marui away from Yukimura-buchou's bedside, and Yukimura-buchou was much more important than a hair-pulling brother, and once Kirihara had Marui fed, the tensai would no doubt want a nap, at which point Kirihara would throw his senpai over his shoulder and carry him to a handicapped bathroom for some special attention.  
  
Cough. Cough. "Bunta-nii. My throat hurts so bad." Cough.  
  
Kirihara glared. "Your appendix burst, not your tonsils. You're faking it."  
  
Cough. "Am not. Bunta-nii, he's causing me undue stress."  
  
Where the hell did the kid learn a phrase like that? He was in third grade and still couldn't do complex subtraction properly. "Shut up or I'll burst your other appendix," Kirihara growled.  
  
"You only have one appendix, stupid face. Hey Bunta-nii, your friend's really dumb. You should…Bunta-nii?" Ryuichi poked at his older brother with one of his Get Well Soon lollipops. "Bunta-nii?" He poked again.  
  
Marui's snort of sleep replied.  
  
"I'll just take him home," Kirihara said, picking up his senpai, rejoicing that the brat couldn't do anything but struggle in his hospital bed while Akaya carried his brother off to see if the nurses had a special room they could borrow, just for a little while.


	132. Delivery (Atoji)

He was proud. How could he not be? There Keigo was, dressed in the hospital gown, holding their little one to his chest.   
  
The only downer was the excessive amount of blood and…gunk that the process entailed. Other than that, it was really…beautiful.  
  
"Jirou, come hold her." The tiny bundle in Atobe's arms wiggled, eliciting a smile from the usually snide captain. "We'll name her Erika, of course, after my mother."  
  
Since Keigo was the one who had to go through the ordeal, Jirou was perfectly willing to let the name stand, even though he would be calling her Minako when Keigo wasn't in the room. It wouldn't hurt anyone, really. "You were great," Jirou whispered as he took the blanketed newborn. "Even my mom couldn't have done better."  
  
Atobe blushing was cuter than anything, even the newborn puppy in his arms that, now that he looked closer, was kind of pinkish and mole-looking. Keigo delivered the litter all by himself, though, and this particular one was his favorite so they were keeping her.  
  
"I'll have Kabaji build her a nursery as a puppy shower gift."   
  
Jirou wasn't going to let Atobe know that nobody had puppy showers these days. If upset, Keigo might withdraw Jirou's custody rights and, when the tiny Labrador grew, she was going to make a fine excuse for Jirou to lure Atobe into the park for naps and…other things. While Keigo phoned Kabaji, Jirou put the puppy back with its mother. "Grow quickly, Minako-chan. I know the perfect park with lots of trees and sticks. You'll love it."


	133. Simple Correspondence (Shiraishi/Kenya)

_Dear Shiraishi,  
  
You are a pretentious asshole and I hate you. Come to the school courts, alone, on Saturday morning so I can show you exactly how weak you are compared to me. Bring your bathing suit because mom says she'll drive us down to the pool after I humiliate you.  
  
–Kenya _  
  
  
  
The letter was missing something. Maybe he needed to add in a few references to Shiraishi's girly figure and lame bandages. Kuranosuke would never agree to meet if he didn't think Kenya was serious.  
  
  
  
_Dear Shiraishi,_  
  
_You are a pretentious, girly asshole and I hate you. Come to the school courts, alone, on Saturday morning so I can beat you into the court and mop up your blood with those lameass bandages. I will be your master and you will be my slave. Bring your bathing suit because mom says she'll drive us down to the pool. Don't piss my mom off by not showing up._  
  
_– Kenya_  
  
_P.S. Mom bought a pineapple to go with lunch and she's making soba. Do you think your sister could make those really good chocolate cupcakes? I haven't had them in a long time._  
  
  
  
While contemplating the last line of his text message, Kenya felt a smack to his rear.  
  
"I'll be your slave?"  
  
A loose bandage whipped Kenya across the head.  
  
"It's a figure of speech," he grumbled. "And I'm not done writing it yet, idiot. Don't read over someone's shoulder!" Maybe he should take out the slave part and instead mention how very nice Shiraishi's new tennis shoes looked and how nice it would be to have a friendly match.  
  
With Shiraishi smacking his bandages around like that, it was best not to give him ideas.


	134. Manners (Shitenhouji)

His mom was clearly off her rocker. Not only had she decided that an arranged meeting would be the perfect thing for her dear, socially stunted Kuranosuke, but she had somehow fallen under the impression that Osamu would be the best man to teach her beloved son how he should act at the introduction.  
  
Clearly she didn't know about the sea of porno mags stored in the bathtub that Osamu never used. She didn't know about the money mooching, ass grabbing, and boxer stealing that was the routine in the Shitenhouji locker room.  
  
"I'll return it eventually," Osamu would say, his arms full of the team's clothing and money. Fortunately Shiraishi was able to hide his money under the bandages, out of Osamu's reach. If the coach ever found out that his skin disease story was a lie, there would no doubt be back-mooching to make up for all the money Osamu failed to extort.  
  
"So, uh, don't put your elbows on the table, kid." Osamu pointed his cigarette at Shiraishi's arm, dripping ash onto his empty dessert plate. Shiraishi's mother so lovingly gave them 5,000 yen and her blessings to have a 'manners dinner.'   
  
"Are you done? Can I go home now?" Shiraishi didn't even _want_ to think of marrying whatever girl his parents had selected. Girls weren't interested in tennis, for the most part, and any girl that was interested in tennis was smart enough not to be interested in a boy who was interested in tennis.   
  
Hopefully this girl would hate him, cry to her parents, and then everything would be called off. No more 'Oh, Kuranosuke, she'll make the perfect wife!' or 'You need to think of your future, Kuranosuke!' He _was_ thinking of his future, a nice future in the Bahamas with cabana boys bringing him drinks and massaging his feet. Ecstasy.  
  
"And don't adjust yourself while she's looking or scratch or anything. Girls hate that." By way of demonstration, Osamu scratched and adjusted, offending their waitress and the old ladies at the table next to them. "See?"  
  
"So don't do anything that you would do?" He already knew that much. He didn't need dinner with a Neanderthal to figure it out.  
  
"Excuse me, sir, are you two doing okay?"  
  
Shiraishi stared as a waiter – certainly not the waiter that Shiraishi had been sneaking glances at between broodings – bent down and picked up the napkin that Osamu 'accidentally' dropped…then replaced it atop Osamu's lap.  
  
"We're having a study session," Osamu said. "I'm a tennis coach. Gotta look after my kids." Osamu slipped the waiter his name card. "Our school's excellent. I have a nice, big desk in the teacher's lounge, and they let me have the keys to the storage room so I can keep my math supplies in there. I teach math, too."  
  
The waiter studied the card then pocketed it. "I'm studying mathematics in college, actually. Do you tutor?"  
  
"All the time."  
  
Shiraishi took the check to go pay while Osamu finished his business transaction. As he waited for the girl to ring his total, he reviewed his lessons for the day: Elbows on table. Scratch. Adjust.


	135. Protection (Maruihara)

"So, what'd you think of doubles?" He had to approach the topic carefully or he'd sound insecure. He certainly wasn't insecure, just making sure everything was as it should be and a certain simple mind wasn't straying too far from home.   
  
Kirihara blinked. "Huh?" A bit of whipped cream from his latte clung to his chin. "I guess it was okay. Singles is better, though. Next year, when I'm captain, I won't play doubles. Ever." He peered into his mug. "You shouldn't play doubles, either, senpai."  
  
Marui should have known Renji was full of crap and saying things just to piss him off. Of course Akaya wouldn't run around the locker room naked, begging Yukimura to please let him play doubles with Yanagi at the post-season invitationals.  
  
"Yanagi-senpai's pretty good at doubles, though. Still, I'm way better than he is." Kirihara stirred his whipped cream into the remainder of his beverage. "I'm going over to his house this weekend to get some help on English. He says that I'll have to keep my grades up if I want to be buchou."  
  
"He's got herpes, you know. Caught it from that Seigaku guy."   
  
Kirihara dropped his spoon. "Huh?"  
  
"Herpes. Renji's got it. If you get naked in the same room as him, you'll catch it too." So it was a little lie – better safe than sorry. Besides, Kirihara would likely tell Niou and Niou would tell everyone. When Renji finally stopped blaming Niou long enough to realize Marui had started the rumor, the season would be over and both Kirihara and Marui would be beyond the reach of Renji's retribution.  
  
At least until next season.


	136. The Blame (OshiGaku)

The biggest mistake in Oshitari Yuushi's life was attending Hyoutei Gakuen. All problems he currently had could be traced to his first day on campus, Atobe Keigo, and the tennis club.  
  
Had he not heard Atobe's nasal whining, he might not have been tempted to slip into the Osaka accent, which he was now forced to maintain because, through that accent, Mukahi Gakuto started to talk to him. By now – Oshitari talked in his sleep – Gakuto surely knew the accent was fake, but chose to not mention it, thus forcing Oshitari to pitch his voice low and sultry every day.  
  
Likewise, if Atobe hadn't insisted that Oshitari and Mukahi play doubles, Yuushi might not have to explain to his mother why he was currently straddled over his doubles partner, about to lick some whipped cream off the side of Gakuto's mouth.  
  
"Mother, I can explain everything." He was a genius. He could pull a reasonable explanation out of his ass and…  
  
"Yuushi's going to be my wife."   
  
He could always count on Gakuto to be painfully honest and a vile little shit all at the same time. "We're conducting a homosocial experiment," Yuushi said, digging his knee into Gakuto's side to keep him quiet. "We're endeavoring to find out what levels of contact are considered appropriate within males of our age group."  
  
She didn't buy it, probably because Gakuto was laughing. "You already knew, right Oshitari-san? Didn't my mom call and tell you?"  
  
Oshitari looked down in horror. "You told your mother?"  
  
"Yeah, I tell my mom everything. Don't you?" Gakuto waited for a reply and smacked Yuushi on the head when he couldn't come up with one. "Honestly Yuushi, you're horrible." He wiggled out from under Oshitari and, after finding his shorts, walked to Yuushi's mother and bowed deeply. "I'll do my best with him, Oshitari-san, but I can't make any promises. I would appreciate any advice you could give me."  
  
To Yuushi's horror, his mother smiled and lead Gakuto away, both of them whispering.  
  
It was all Hyoutei's fault. Tomorrow, he would comb his hair properly, ditch the accent, and fail a math test – that should put things right again.


	137. Next Level (Tezufuji)

Tezuka was a failure at fun. Fuji expected that, with Tezuka's focus, anything was possible, particularly this sort of recreation, but give Tezuka a gun at an arcade and he couldn't score a single damn point.  
  
People were laughing at them.  
  
A player from _Fudomine_ was laughing at them. If there was a St. Rudolph player nearby, he'd probably be laughing, too.  
  
"Let's go get something to eat, Tezuka. I'm hungry." If they left the arcade now, they could avoid embarrassing themselves when Kamio-kun phoned his friends and the entirety of the Fudomine team arrived to mock Tezuka's limp wristed gun technique.  
  
The game machine chimed and Fuji turned to stare at Tezuka and his plastic magenta gun. "You have a new level one score, Tezuka."   
  
Tezuka nodded and turned back to the machine, staring it down as if it were Echizen trying to sneak away from practice early. "Level two's top score is lower. We'll go to lunch after that."  
  
As Tezuka typed his name into the high score table, Fuji turned to Kamio and smiled. Let him tell _that_ to his little friends.


	138. Concentration Exercises (Maruihara, Sanayuki)

Kirihara hated Marui's 'Number One Fan.' While Akaya wasn't stupid enough to think Marui would dump him for some Hyoutei loser, Akutagawa took up Marui's valuable time – time that could be spent with Akaya in the back of the locker room, whispering sweet nothings and the answers to Akaya's math homework.  
  
"Hey Fukubuchou, I don't think that guy should be allowed around here anymore." Kirihara tugged at Sanada's arm and motioned toward the corner of the court, where Jirou was jumping around in front of Marui like a crazy monkey…or Jackal when he ate one of Marui's cakes and his body overreacted to the sugar.  
  
Sanada shrugged and continued to inspect his grip tape. He didn't have much to do since Buchou got out of the hospital, mostly he just stood there and stared at his racquet, waiting for Yukimura to say it was okay to yell at the freshman. Buchou liked to hear Sanada yell, though, so he didn’t have to wait around for long until Buchou summoned him into a 'secret meeting' by the bench, which usually resulted in Fukubuchou ordering laps and picking up heavy things while Yukimura 'supervised.'  
  
"Akaya!" Yukimura glided up to him, eyes focused on where Kirihara's hand met Sanada's arm. "Why aren't you practicing?"  
  
Kirihara pointed to Akutagawa. "Tell him to go away, Buchou. He's distracting Marui-senpai."  
  
"Niou suggested bringing him in as a concentration exercise." Yukimura simultaneously patted Kirihara on the head and shoved him further from Sanada. "Twenty laps to regain your focus, then I'll have Akutagawa leave for the day."  
  
During his laps, Kirihara swore he saw Akutagawa stick his tongue out while Marui's back was turned. Buchou would have seen it, too, but he and Fukubuchou were in the locker room filling out paperwork or something. For some reason, whenever Akutagawa visited, they always ran off, leaving Kirihara to defend the team alone. Well, he'd show them. He'd show them all…or maybe he'd just ask Yanagi-senpai to call that weird Hyoutei captain and have Akutagawa removed. He had a math test on Thursday and if he didn’t get enough Marui-senpai study and snuggle time, he'd never pass.


	139. Animalistic (Shitenhouji)

Being captain of team Shitenhouji was a lot like being a zoo keeper, Shiraishi imagined.  
  
Ten minutes into practice – and always ten minutes to the second – Yuuji would slap Koharu into the fence for leering at a member of the team. At that point, it was Shiraishi's duty to alert Gin, who would remove Koharu from the fence, hand him some gauze for whatever cuts resulted, and drag Yuuji off to the other side of the courts for a quick rally to get his aggression out.  
  
Half an hour into practice, Chitose would finally show up. Barefoot. Kintarou would fly at Chitose and prattle on about whatever first year gossip was filling his primitive brain while Chitose nodded and gave a signal to Shiraishi that oh, he was so sorry, he was taking a nap in the library and time just slipped past him, you know? Then, while Shiraishi took Chitose's shoes out of his tennis bag– they were always in Shiraishi's bag because Chitose, the big idiot, couldn't be trusted to keep track of a string tied around his finger let alone a pair of tennis shoes - he had to suffer through Kenya complaining that, if Chitose could come late to practice and still be in Singles then why couldn't he come late and still be Singles instead of getting laps and saddled with Doubles. To this Koharu would shout out that Kenya could saddle him any time, thus starting another incident of Koharu-In-Fence.  
  
The only sane one was Zaizen, who just practiced his serves until someone was free to rally or Osamu dragged him off to explain to the school faculty that, no, the tennis team wasn't being neglected by their coach. Really.  
  
Finally, at the end of the ruckus, they were able to begin a truly focused experience…for the remaining twenty minutes of practice.  
  
"Hey Shiraishi, let's cut out early and get something to eat." Chitose's hand squeezed Shiraishi's shoulder. "These tennis shoes are making my feet sweat too much. I'm getting dizzy." He squeezed again. "Come on, my treat."  
  
It was never actually Chitose's treat. Chitose kept track of his wallet with the same regularity that he kept track of his tennis shoes.   
  
"I want to go, too!" Kintarou cheered, leaping onto Shiraishi's back. "Shiraishi's taking us to dinner!"  
  
The hoots and whoops were definitely reminiscent of a primate house. The only difference was that Chitose ate more bananas than the average monkey and Kenya was lazier than the standard issue cheetah.   
  
"Don't you kids forget to bring me back something," Osamu called, tossing his keys to Gin. "You can take my car, just put gas in it."  
  
Gin stared at the keys before tossing them back to Osamu.  
  
"Oh, right. You can't drive." Osamu put the keys back in his pocket, shrugged, and leaned back for his post-practice nap.   
  
"Pidgeon," Shiraishi grumbled. "He's the pidgeon."


	140. Sale Candy (Maruihara)

Kirihara's plan was foolproof. He'd transferred the money and all of the arrangements were set. By the end of the week, he was going to be wallowing in Marui-senpai's affections and, if he was really lucky, he might even get a kiss.  
  
"What're you doing?" Jackal looked over Kirihara's shoulder at the printed off invoice.  
  
"I found a guy that was willing to buy me some after Halloween sale candy. It's really cheap!" He stroked the printout. "I bought enough to feed Marui-senpai for a whole year."  
  
Jackal stared at the receipt a bit longer. "Bloat Your Boyfriend Dotcom?"   
  
"Yeah. I saw it in my spam folder and decided to check it out. Good thing, huh?" This was the _perfect_ plan. Even Jackal-senpai had to agree with that.  
  
"You notice those nice new shoes Niou was wearing today?" Jackal pointed to the bottom of the printout and the N.M. & Assoc. logo.  
  
Kirihara pulled away from his senpai, who was probably trying to get the website information so he could steal Marui-senpai away. "Get your own candy," he growled, hugging the printout tight. When his 12,000 yen worth of candy came, he'd be sure to show it off to Jackal before giving it to Marui-senpai. That would teach Jackal to steal Kirihara's brilliant ideas.


	141. Cooking for Morons (Maruihara)

If there was something Marui wanted, Kirihara tried with all of his hormonal heart to deliver it.  
  
"I could really go for some nice pumpkin muffins, maybe with ice cream and whipped cream and some milk," Marui said during practice . He was talking to Jackal and didn't know Kirihara was listening from behind the ball machine. At least once a week, Kirihara observed Marui and Jackal's practice, just to make sure Jackal wasn't lying about all the girls he was dating.  
  
In theory, baking muffins wasn't hard. Kirihara even found a cookbook, entitled _Manly Meals for the Meager Mind_ , with an easy to follow recipe. He measured out the wet stuff, added it to the dry stuff, and was ready to put it in his mom's prize silicon muffin pan when the doorbell rang.  
  
"Akaya! Your friend's here!"   
  
If Kirihara's older sister ever found out just how friendly a friend Marui was, there would be hell and blackmail to pay. Fortunately, she'd always suspected Marui but never made the connection. She probably thought Marui really _was_ tutoring Kirihara in math, even though it was one of his strongest subjects. "Don't let him in the kitchen!" Kirihara yelled, running to block the doorway. "Keep him busy for fifteen minutes!" He needed at least one batch of muffins to be ready. If he came bearing the muffins Marui was craving, then Marui would offer up the kisses Akaya was craving – in the secrecy of Kirihara's room of course – and everyone would come out a winner.  
  
"I smell pumpkin." Marui's voice lilted through the entryway as he sidestepped Akaya's sister and pushed Akaya aside. "Batter!" He attacked the bowl with his fingers, scooping up a large chunk and licking it off.  
  
Kirihara expected his senpai to fall over in ecstasy, not run to the sink to spit the batter out.   
  
"Akaya?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Did you put brown sugar in this?"  
  
Kirihara went to the trash and fished out the packets he'd used for the recipe. "Yeah, right here. Brown…oh." He hastily covered 'gravy' with his hands. "So, ah, how about some ice cream, senpai? We have whipped cream, too." Kirihara threw the gravy packets away, resigning himself to the standard amount of attention instead of the Industrial Sized Marui Groping he'd hoped for.  
  
Tomorrow, once his mom restocked the kitchen, he'd try the Simpleton Butterscotch recipe. That one was sure to work.


	142. Freaks and Perverts (Seigaku)

Everyone on the team was a freak. Echizen believed this as thoroughly as he believed Karupin was the only sane member of his family.  
  
Buchou said he would play against Echizen but, when pressed, always found a reason (Fuji) to not have sufficient time for a match. When Echizen asked Fuji-senpai if he could spare a moment or, failing that, play a game, Fuji-senpai always found a reason (Buchou) to shove Echizen away, generally into the ground, generally on his face.  
  
Inui-senpai was a pervert.  
  
Echizen had previously been under the impression that Oishi was normal but, after the incident with Kikumaru-senpai, an ice cream cone, and the ball machine, Echizen put Oishi-senpai in the Pervert Club with Inui-senpai.  
  
"You're in my way." Kaidoh-senpai began running past and Echizen picked up his pace to catch up.   
  
"Kaidoh-senpai, why do you play doubles?" Normally he didn't converse with anyone but Karupin but today he was feeling strangely friendly. Maybe that had something to do with the weird juice Inui made him drink before practice. The stuff was a translucent purple and tasted a bit like molasses – and vomit, but that was Echizen's contribution to the mixture and not an original ingredient.  
  
Kaidoh coughed and jogged faster, almost too fast for Echizen's small (they wouldn't be small forever!) legs too keep up.  
  
Inui-senpai stepped into their path and Kaidoh collided with him, toppling them both to the ground. Kaidoh lay sprawled across Inui-senpai's stomach for a few moments before shaking out of his confusion. "Sorry senpai, I didn't see you."  
  
Was anybody else on the court noticing Inui-senpai's hands on Kaidoh's ass? Did anyone else care that Fuji-senpai did the same thing to Buchou after school when Buchou was up in Ryuzaki-sensei's office pretending to watch the team but really just sneaking an after school snack? (Echizen knew about the snacks because he followed Buchou one afternoon out of a desire to learn more about the team – a desire that flew away as soon as he saw Fuji grinding Buchou into a desk.)  
  
"Hey Echizen, you're going slow." Momo-senpai grabbed Echizen's arm and pulled him away from Kaidoh and Inui.   
  
Did Momo just grope him?  
  
"Momo-senpai, I want to play tennis." Not to say that some other stuff might be a nice change, but only after practice. Then he and Momo could get some ramen – Momo would pay – and play tennis on the street courts – Momo would lose – and yell out to couples being inappropriately affectionate in the park – Taka-san would get embarrassed and he and that tall Yamabuki guy would hide behind a tree.  
  
"Echizeeeen, hurry up." Momo's hand smacked hard into Ryoma's backside.   
  
Stupid Momo-senpai. If he wasn't careful, the other team members would mistake the smack for flirting, then they would think it was okay to be even more weird at practice. 


	143. Food Thief (Hyoutei)

Atobe hated Shishido more than he hated the common peasant. Shishido was crass and stole Atobe's lunch whenever possible because Atobe's food was supposedly better than the school lunch. No one needed to know that the Atobe family used the same catering service as the school and the only difference between the pasta primavera in Atobe's bento and the primavera the school offered was presentation.  
  
"Hey, you going to eat those carrots?" Shishido pointed to Atobe's organic carrot sticks. "I'm still hungry."  
  
Oshitari and Gakuto whispered at one another behind their hands, probably something about Atobe's food absorbing his arrogance and transmitting it to Shishido in small quantities.  
  
"Take them." It wasn't worth the fight. Eventually Shishido would tire of asking and just take them while Atobe was enjoying his milk.   
  
"Here Choutarou, have some." Shishido split the sticks between himself and his doubles partner. "Carrots help your eyesight."  
  
Ohtori looked at the carrot sticks, then to the three containers of pudding Shishido acquired from various kouhai. "I'm fine, Shishido-san. I'm full."  
  
"It's for your eyes, Choutarou." Shishido waved the carrot stick in Ohtori's face. If Atobe were the poor second year, he'd have snapped Shishido's wrist by now.  
  
"Hey Atobe, you got any food?" Jirou flopped himself across Atobe's back.  
  
"Shishido stole it." He pointed to the carrot stick thief. "You'll have to open negotiations as it seems he's determined to fatten Ohtori up for the winter."  
  
The carrot sticks flew toward Atobe's head and Jirou snatched them out of the air. "Thanks!" Jirou gave Atobe's shoulder a squeeze and bounded off for the library, most likely for his lunchtime nap.  
  
Across the table, Shishido fumed and Ohtori tried valiantly to hide in his own shadow.


	144. A Man's Opinion (Maruihara, Sanayuki)

"Fukubuchou, I need your help." Kirihara stood before Sanada, hands wrapped up in his uniform scarf. "I need a man's advice on something."  
  
"If you have any STDs, talk to Niou."   
  
Kirihara grabbed Sanada's arm before the other boy could walk away. "Not _that_ , I already know about that. Well, I don't _know_ know, but I know, you know?"  
  
Sanada waited because he didn't have anywhere else to be. Yukimura was home sick and didn't want Sanada visiting and possibly catching his flu, putting both functional members of the team out of commission. Seiichi was also afraid Sanada would bring more chicken soup from his mother, who was better at house budgeting than cooking. Her general response when Sanada was sick was for Genichirou to get outside and get some exercise instead of spreading his germs around the house.  
  
"Anyway," Kirihara continued, giving Sanada a smack to the arm to regain his attention, "I wanted to maybe take Marui-senpai somewhere fancy, since he's been so nice to me and stuff." Akaya's cheeks flared and Sanada felt a little queasy.   
  
"Is it your anniversary?" Sanada didn't think Kirihara'd been pubescent long enough to have an anniversary, but you never could tell.  
  
After futzing with his scarf a bit more, Kirihara nodded. "Two weeks," he whispered. "He kissed me – a real one – two weeks ago. So I wanna, uh, celebrate."  
  
What Kirihara probably meant to say was that Marui was ignoring him and acting normal instead of turning into some sex crazed beast, sucking at Kirihara's face at every opportunity. "Chocolate," Sanada replied. Chocolate always worked, no matter who it was. Even Yukimura caved to a box of Godiva.  
  
"Thanks Fukubuchou!" Kirihara reached forward for a hug but pulled back at the last second and gave Sanada a light punch to the arm. "Good to have these manly talks." He puffed up his chest. "I'm gonna go now. Bunta ripped the knee of his uniform pants and I told him I'd sew them up for him."  
  
Sanada watched Kirihara go and, as the second year vanished past the school gates, Sanada remembered that he, too, had some sewing that needed to be done. Yukimura's jacket – the one he'd stolen from Sanada last year – was wearing at the elbows. If it wasn't patched by the time Yukimura got over his flu, Sanada would be stuck watching Akaya during practice and keeping him from sneaking off the court with Marui for "volley practice."


	145. Lessons from the Locker Room （Rikkai）

In his two years on the Rikkaidai tennis team, Kirihara Akaya had learned much.  
  
The first thing he learned was that, if you asked your boyfriend, "when am I going to see you naked again?" you were either going to be told _Never_ (if you were dating Niou-senpai) or just get snarled at (if you were dating Fukubuchou). Nobody ever asked Jackal when he was going to be naked again because Jackal senpai believed in "freedom."  
  
"What're you staring at?" Marui tapped Kirihara's nose with a finger. "See a fly or something?"  
  
"Just thinking." If Kirihara asked Marui when he'd seem him naked again, Marui would probably say that Kirihara should be working on his crapass volleys instead of asking stupid questions. Marui-senpai also had no discernable libido. Tennis was sexy; Yukimura-buchou always said so while he was helping Sanada stretch. Stretching with the person you liked was like holding hands only better because you could play tennis afterwards or, according to Yagyuu-senpai, you could do other not-tennis things so long as your dimwit doubles partner could comprehend that "I want to grip your racquet" was a come-on and not an actual request to try out your MORE POWER 1150 S.  
  
"You could try doing that while you're practicing. Bet your game would improve." Marui elbowed him in the side and grinned. "You hear about Yagyuu? Jackal said he was cut off for another two weeks. Niou won't even go to his house after school to play video games."  
  
Kirihara cautiously stepped closer to his senpai; their arms brushed against one another whenever Kirihara swayed just a little. "He's probably cut off because Niou-senpai's prissy." Niou was Marui's best friend so Kirihara had to refrain from being too honest about his senpai, but prissy was okay. Even Marui-senpai called Niou prissy.  
  
"He's still pissed about the day you asked him if he got hemorrhoids." When Marui laughed, his cheeks puffed up and his shoulders shook. It reminded Kirihara of a trembling hamster.  
  
"Sanada, do you really need to wear that much in this heat? You'll get heatstroke before nationals. Take off the shirt."  
  
Kirihara and Marui turned to see Sanada put on his jacket over his jersey. "I'm fine."  
  
"Buchou's getting a little desperate," Kirihara whispered, pulling Marui out of the clubhouse slowly. Any time now Buchou was going to snap.  
  
"Sanada's been withholding since Yukimura got back from physical therapy. Yanagi told me that Yukimura surprised Sanada at his house with some weird vibrating tennis ball thing. Sanada's been wearing his jacket and warm-up pants ever since."  
  
Closing the clubhouse door behind them, Kirihara whispered, "Hey senpai, wanna go get some ice cream?" Kirihara was going to invite Marui-senpai over to play video games in his room, but Yukimura-buchou gave him some stuff that was probably not going to help his cause. He'd invite Marui-senpai over after he disposed of the rubber banana sundae.


	146. Hark the Herald Buchou Sings (Rikkai)

It was Renji who insisted that the entire team attend and bear witness to Yukimura's humiliation. Sanada had already been forced to watch the previous year, an invitation from Yukimura's grandmother that Sanada couldn't refuse, but had been hoping to avoid any and all contact with the event in the future.  
  
Renji was just bitter that Yukimura beat him at air hockey the week previous and was looking for ways to get back at him without resorting to direct violence or low-class pranks.  
  
"Why do we have to be here?" Akaya asked, staring at the program in his hands. "I'm not Christian so I shouldn't have to come."  
  
"Ditto," Marui and Niou said in unison before snarling and trying to give one another paper cuts with the program. On Tuesday, Niou stole an onigiri from Marui's lunch and Marui, in retribution, put dye in Niou's bodywash. In further retribution, Niou put water from the school's small koi pond in Marui's waterbottle. Sanada thought about smacking them both across the head and demanding a truce but whatever pathetic attempts at 'evening the score' the two would devise during the production would keep him from falling asleep. He would berate them tomorrow.  
  
"It's of cultural interest," Renji said. He had a highlighter out and was making notes in the program. "And Yukimura appreciates our support."  
  
"I'd appreciate a snack," Jackal grumbled. He rummaged through Marui's bag. "You bring anything to eat?"   
  
"Try the onigiri. They're great." For his sass, Niou got a foot to the shin.  
  
"It's a shame Yagyuu couldn't make it," Renji commented, taking Sanada's program and putting it in his bag. "I assumed you won't be reading it," he explained when Sanada reached out to take it back. "If you wouldn't mind giving it to me when you're done. I have an idea." Renji's smile was so serene that Sanada knew whatever idea Renji had would earn him at least fifty laps.   
  
"Take it." The production wasn't likely to change anyway.   
  
"Why is this filled with peanut butter?" Jackal stared at the onigiri he'd stolen from Marui's bag, distracting Marui long enough for Niou to vault past him and into the seat between Kirihara and Renji.  
  
"It's starting," Sanada hissed.   
  
The lights dimmed.  
  
  
*******  
  
"Hark! I bring you tidings of great joy!" On stage, Yukimura made his big entrance, speaking his only line as if he were ordering freshman on the court and not addressing the blessed virgin.  
  
"Hey fukubuchou, why's buchou in a dress?" Kirihara poked at Sanada's arm until he turned.  
  
"It's not a dress; it's a robe."  
  
"Looks like a dress to me."  
  
Sanada tuned out Kirihara's insistence and focused on the question that had been plaguing him since the nativity play began: was Seiichi wearing anything under that robe? The robe was very white and Sanada knew for a fact that all of Yukimura's undergarments were either electric blue or had anime characters on them. So either Yukimura's mother bought him special angel underwear or Seiichi chose to go without.   
  
"Hey fukubuchou, are you listening?"  
  
"No."  
  
It wouldn't matter so much if Sanada didn't distinctly remember the Angel of the Lord flying away on a rope after Mary's little speech. If Yukimura flew up and there was a draft, the audience would get a nice look up his robe and Sanada would have to avenge Yukimura's modesty. He was betting the old lady with the cane in the second row had a knife stashed somewhere on her person, possibly a gun. He would have to watch out for her.  
  
"Isn't this when they eat?" Marui whispered to Jackal, loud enough for the entire theater to hear.  
  
"That's the Last Supper. It's not for a few months." How Jackal knew this was beyond Sanada's knowledge. Sanada only knew about the Last Supper because his mother dragged him to a production of Jesus Christ Superstar two years ago. She claimed it would be a cultural experience. Really, all it did was give him a predisposition for leather pants.  
  
"Isn't there something about bread and fish, though?"  
  
"Shut up," Sanada hissed. "Jackal, keep him quiet." Even if Yukimura's big moment was over, he was still on the stage, standing in divine superiority.   
  
Sanada's stomach growled.  
  
"Onigiri?" Jackal whispered, passing one across.  
  
"Thanks."


	147. March of the Kouhai (Maruihara)

Jackal-senpai was nice and all, but he spent too much time around Marui for Kirihara to feel comfortable. Sure Jackal was the one to buy all their snacks and their games at the arcade, but Akaya needed some alone time with Bunta or he'd never be able to make his move.  
  
"Hey senpai, can you come here a minute?" He tapped Jackal on the shoulder and inclined his head toward a secluded spot on the practice court. "I have a favor to ask."  
  
Shrugging, Jackal followed, hands in his pockets. "What's the matter, Akaya? Marui do something?"  
  
Marui doing something would be a nice change from Marui always doing lots of nothing, usually nothing that involved hanging out with Jackal and inviting Kirihara along like one of his little brothers. Kirihara was not little and he wasn't Marui-senpai's brother. If any of those little brats thought the things he thought about Marui-senpai, there would be death and dismemberment. Incest was wrong, no matter what kinds of jokes Niou-senpai made about those twins from Jyousei.   
  
"Akaya?" Jackal looked off in the distance, like he was waiting for someone. "Did you need money or something? I've only got 1000 yen on me and I need it for something."  
  
"Can you, uh, not hang out with Bunta for a few days. I kinda wanted to-"  
  
"March of the Penguins."  
  
"Huh?"   
  
"You don't have any money, so invite him over to watch March of the Penguins. He always cries so you'll have a chance to make your move." Jackal patted Akaya on the head. "Anything else?"  
  
Jackal-senpai was a genius. Still, it was suspicious. "How do you know that, senpai?"  
  
"He made me take him when it was out in theaters. I swore I wouldn't tell, but I'm tired of paying for your dates. I've got other stuff to buy." Jackal's eyebrows furrowed and he took one step away from Akaya. "I've got to go. Email me if you need anything else."  
  
While Jackal ran off toward some Hyoutei kid in a weird cloak – Akaya could smell a member of the Hyoutei team from a mile away – Kirihara wondered if the Tsutaya down the street from his house had the movie for rent. If they did, he'd break into his super secret Money I Saved From Mooching Off Jackal-senpai Fund and begin his plan.  
  
If not, he was sure he could borrow it from Fukubuchou.


	148. Strange Birds (Tezufuji)

With Tezuka, Fuji was never sure if he was supposed to be the proper one or the rebel. Sometimes, when Fuji thought nobody was looking, he'd sneak a sample from the candy store. Afterwards, Tezuka would always make him pay for the candy, even though Tezuka also stole samples without paying. Still, when Fuji declined Tezuka's invitations for additional practice, Tezuka would glare at him and say, in his most exasperated voice, "Recreational activities are essential to maintaining proper mental health." Fuji knew Tezuka was frustrated when he started talking like Inui.  
  
Now, they were at an arcade, standing near a shooting game but not actually playing. Tezuka watched gamers come and go and flipped a coin between his fingers, but he never once stepped up to the machine.  
  
"I’m going to go-"  
  
"Wait." Tezuka held out his hand, stalling Fuji's trip to the bathroom. "One more and I'll have it."  
  
Fuji's smile was strained as he watched Tezuka approach the machine, looming over the second graders currently playing.   
  
"I'll take winner."


End file.
